


The Boy With The Blue Koi

by PinkJinPls



Series: The Red River Series [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alpha Park Chanyeol, Alternate Universe - 1990s, Baekhyun rescued from vampires, Baekhyun struggles with vampire scars, Because what's a wolf fic without smut luv x, Blood Drinking, Body Dysphoria, ChanBaek - Freeform, Child Kim Jongin | Kai, Cute, Domestic Fluff, EXO - Freeform, Fluff and Humor, Happy Ending, Honestly it's soft and nice with a few angsty scenes, Idiots in Love, Jongdae and Junmyeon Married, M/M, Mpreg, Night Terrors, Nightmares, Scars, Smut, Some scenes of blood, Surgical scenes, The vampires only appear in Baekhyun's dreams, Vampires, Wolf Pack, Wolves, and SMUT, baekhyun memory loss, descriptions of scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:42:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 42,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27016711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkJinPls/pseuds/PinkJinPls
Summary: Baekhyun wakes up in a small, preservation town after being rescued from a vampire coven. He can't recall anything from his past, including his own name. Suddenly, all he knows are the warm faces of his doctors, their cute son and a silver-haired guy who sits by his side day and night. Nightmares of the terrors he faced in the coven plague him, but it gets better day by day, because Baekhyun has Chanyeol, and Chanyeol makes him feel like he can do anything.But there's a lot to find out about the small town and it's residents, and not everything in Red River is as it seems.This is Baekhyun's story to finding love, truth, and himself.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol, Kim Jongdae | Chen/Kim Junmyeon | Suho
Series: The Red River Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1971766
Comments: 32
Kudos: 127





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back with Chanbaek content ♥
> 
> DISCLAIMER:  
> The following has: Brief scenes of surgery/clinical content. Scenes of blood/pain/nightmares. Scenes of detailed scarring - caused by vampire bites - and scenes that can reflect body dysphoria. In between all of this is a cute, fluffy Chanbaek love story but if you are affected by any of the above please tread careful ♥
> 
> This is the main part of a mini-series that I'm working on AS WE SPEAK and will be uploading shortly so yeehaw and stuff !! 
> 
> ENJOY ♥

☁

_ 1994 _

☁

Baekhyun remembered running. He remembered his bare feet crashing against the sticks and stones of the forest floor and the way his lungs heaved so heavily in his chest. He vaguely remembers tripping over a large rock jutting out from the earth and falling instantly. He doesn’t remember his head hitting the hard ground with a thud and plunging him into a deep, deep unconsciousness.

☁

The first time he woke he was delirious. He could faintly hear the beeping of machines and a thick material swaddling his cold body. His limbs felt as if they were weighed down and his vision was heavily blurred as he gazed into the smeared face of a doctor. Apparently he was safe, away from danger and would feel better after more sleep. He remembered a broad figure at the end of his bed before he was pulled back to slumber.

☁

The second time he woke he was even more delirious. His skin was itching and his throat felt like fire as his exhausted limbs thrashed sluggishly. The beeping of machines sounded like a ringing alarm in his sensitive eardrums. It drove him to the brink – he was hunched over and releasing the contents of his empty stomach into a bowl that his hands were apparently holding. It was black, his vomit pitch black and thick with a translucent sheen like oil. A doctor dabbed at his chin and his mouth and spoke soothingly. You’re safe, away from danger and would feel better after even more sleep.

“You’re going to be okay, little koi.”

A deep voice swirled around his mind as his head hit the pillow and the male clung to it like it was the only thing he had.

“I’m going to keep you safe.”

☁

Sharp canines slicing through his skin like hot metal and spilling his blood from it. Delicate ice-cold hands pinning him down and the hissing sound of a snake deep in his eardrum. That was what made him wake up a third time and this time he was alone in the simple-looking hospital room. His right hand was hooked into a machine but Baekhyun gave no care for it, ripping it from his skin and spilling his blood from it. His heart beat mercilessly against his ribcage as he leapt from the bed in fright and across the room, stumbling over a lone chair until his face was against the small window.

“They’re coming, they’ll find me, they’ll hunt me down,” he shrieked to himself at the realisation as he scratched at the windows with blunt fingernails.

Naturally, the glass gave no movement, and urgent footsteps rushing inside made Baekhyun push himself into the far corner of the room.

“It’s okay, it’s going to be okay,” a doctor spoke as he held up his hands in the air, approaching Baekhyun slowly, “I’m Dr. Jongdae Kim, I’ve been looking after you along with Dr. Jun. You’re in a safe place and being treated.”

“They’re gonna kill you all to get to me,” Baekhyun’s voice cracked uncomfortably as he shrieked again.

He tugged at his black hair with his hands desperately, feeling how much he was violently shaking, before dragging them down his face. The male glanced down. He’d been dressed in an old, grey sweater and matching pants but the sleeves drooped down so his forearms were revealed. Baekhyun gulped at the sight of his porcelain skin covered in the same repeated scars, endless puncture marks of vampire teeth, and heard the hissing of a snake once more.

Another hard shriek broke from his throat and he slumped to the ground, his limbs weak and shaking, muscles tense in fear. The doctor was talking again but Baekhyun couldn’t hear it over the constant hissing sounds in his ear and the cold laughter that followed. His hands were pressed so firmly against his ears he thought his head was going to combust. He hadn’t even realised blood was trickling from where he’d ripped the needle from his hand to escape the machines.

All Baekhyun noticed was a scent, a calm scent that was lulling his body until his eyes slowly opened to gaze at a guy he’d never seen before. He was hunched over in front of Baekhyun and reached his large hands outward. In a swift movement the silver-haired guy had swooped Baekhyun up with care and returned him to the hospital bed. The sheets were still warm as the young doctor smiled and tended to his hand.

“You’re truly safe here, we all are, those filthy dead beings aren’t allowed to come anywhere near here,” the doctor spoke with such a soft voice, as Baekhyun glanced warily between him and the other male on the other side of the bed, “Your body has been through a lot of physical and emotional pain and it’s going to take a while before you feel like yourself.”

Baekhyun yelped as the doctor reinserted the needle and hooked him back up to the machines beside the bed. He couldn’t help but frown at the doctor in response. Then he realised what the doctor had said.

“You…you know? You know that they’re vampires?” his voice croaked in pain.

“We do. The vampires that held you captive had you under very heavy hypnosis, the heaviest I’ve ever seen, and your blood levels were so low,” the doctor paused as he glanced over Baekhyun’s face, “The vampire blood is out of your system now but the effect of it will take a little more time to dissipate and you’ll struggle with bad memory loss for a while. Can you remember your name?”

Baekhyun shook his head. He genuinely couldn’t.

“Then you should sleep some more, knowing you’re in a safe place, far away from that place. Okay?” the doctor asked although it didn’t seem much of a question.

The male watched as the doctor beckoned a young looking nurse inside, told her that he’d upped the level of vitamin and hydration drips beside Baekhyun, to glance back to his patient.

“I can give you something to make you fall back to sleep, or would you rather fall asleep more naturally?”

“Natural,” Baekhyun answered simply.

His throat felt like sandpaper after the almighty shrieks that had ripped through it. Baekhyun wanted to rub and soothe his poor throat, but his free hand wasn’t so free after all, as it clutched onto the sleeve of the male next to him. Baekhyun blinked once at the male’s face in curiosity.

“He’s all yours, Yeol,” the doctor sang with a slight smile upon leaving the room.

Baekhyun didn’t acknowledge it as he gazed up at the stranger. He felt as if he should be clawing away, screaming and shouting, demanding answers to his questions - who the fuck are you and who the fuck am I – but that calming scent just kept on sweeping over him like the sea.

“Who are you?” he managed to whisper as his eyes grew heavy.

“My name is Chanyeol, I found you alone and injured in the forest, so I rushed you here,” he paused and then answered a question Baekhyun didn’t ask, “This is Red River Preservation and it’s a safe land for you to be. You’re in the town health centre, in case that wasn’t obvious enough.”

Silver-haired Chanyeol may as well have told Baekhyun he was in a spa on Mars. The male was so utterly, groggily clueless to everything. The male had a young face, with dark sparkling eyes and odd, pretty freckles spaced across his cheek and nose. His hands looked humongous as one of them brushed Baekhyun’s hair from his damp forehead.

“You should get some sleep,” Chanyeol advised softly.

Baekhyun’s hand was still clutching at the male’s grey, hoodie sleeve but he physically couldn’t remove it. Especially when that calm, serene scent rolled over him heavily and had his eyes closing and head buried into the pillow in seconds.

☁

“This one’s definitely a fighter, Dae, he wouldn’t be laying here if he wasn’t.”

“He hasn’t been overly responsive until now but plying him with more medication will make him so drowsy and weak, all I can do is keep him hydrated.”

“And his blood levels?”

“Better after the transfusion, his skin is starting to get some life back into it too, it feels like we’re reviving a corpse.”

“Dae!”

“Where’s the lie, Jun?”

Baekhyun had heard the conversation happening somewhere in the room as his eyelids flickered open and closed, his vision blurred and struggling with the brightness. He felt as shit as anyone would after having spent time being a coven’s juice box but somehow, somewhat better. He didn’t want to jump up with blood-curdling screams this time but his energy levels were recovered, and though he still felt tired, Baekhyun felt as if he’d slept really well.

“Hey,” the deep, soft voice whispered like a siren song, “Good morning, sleepy sheep.”

Baekhyun’s vision focused in on who had spoken, Chanyeol, he recalled easily as he glanced across his face. The silver-haired male simply smiled from the side of the bed. He reached over tentatively and patted Baekhyun’s arm like a friend would. The comfort felt like sunshine kissing at his skin, especially since Chanyeol’s hands were so fucking warm. He weakly reached for the large, warm limb and held onto it to relish in the feeling of a hot-blooded body.

“Good morning indeed!” the chirpier of the two doctors announced with a warm smile.

Said doctors were stood at the foot of Baekhyun’s bed in front of the window, so much so the outside light parted around them like they were holy. That was a comforting sight too.

“Three days of sleep obviously does wonders for a guy,” the doctor continued as he patted Baekhyun’s leg on top of the covers.

Doctor Jongdae Kim. Doctor Jun. Red River. Chanyeol. The information all came so easily considering it was all Baekhyun could recall. His mind had never felt so blank and numbingly empty in his life. The two doctors began to fuss over him, shining a light in his eyes, thermometers in his ears, asking him questions about how he was, if he felt hot, cold, felt any pain across his body.

Baekhyun felt exhausted but…manageably well.

“Don’t force yourself to remember things if you’re still feeling foggy up here,” Dr Jun then spoke as he tapped Baekhyun’s forehead softly, “But if you can recall your name, or age?”

It must have been obvious by the look on Baekhyun’s face that his mind could offer up sweet nothing. He had no idea who he was, where he’d been or what he’d been doing. The only memories he had were fleeting horrors of a vampyric coven and the metallic smell of blood came with it. All he knew was Doctor Jongdae, Doctor Jun, Red River and Chanyeol, so if any of those were answers to the doctor’s questions at least he’d pass something.

Dr Jun nodded simply as he gave a light hum, Dr Jongdae scribbling something down on a clipboard, so Baekhyun glanced across to Chanyeol. The silver-haired guy appeared sleepy as hell and now had darkening circles under his eyes but smiled nevertheless, squeezing Baekhyun’s hand.

“Looks like you’re going to be Little Koi for a while,” Chanyeol chuckled.

“Little Koi?”

“You have a tattoo of a blue koi fish swimming under a flower on the back of your shoulder,” Chanyeol informed like a teacher telling a student a historical fact.

“I do,” Baekhyun then agreed easily because it came to him in a heartbeat.

For a brief second he heard the buzzing of the needle and felt the scratch of it against his skin. The image flew into his head like the face of a long lost friend; the pretty, swirling koi fish, covered in electric blue scales beneath a blooming white lotus flower. He couldn’t recall where or when he’d gotten it done but it was there, the first piece of the puzzle slotted into his memory.

He then faintly remembered that he was on the short side and huffed outwardly.

“Either way there’s absolutely no rush to remember anything. You’ve just got to let yourself relax back into the land of the living,” Dr Jongdae grinned mischievously and blatantly ignored the look the other doctor sent him.

“Did I really sleep for three days?” Baekhyun heard himself ask.

The two doctors glanced at each other as Jongdae passed the clipboard to Jun.

“You came to the clinic five days ago. The first few days was rather touch and go and we really had to work on getting your vital signs up, as well as making sure you wouldn’t have a bad reaction to the blood transfusion,” Dr Jun explained as he reattached the clipboard to the foot of the bed.

“We had to use a bit of old school wolf healing to provoke the vampire blood out of your system, but it reacted well and there wasn’t a trace of it after the second day. Since then you’ve just been in and out of sleep, occasionally waking up to scream bloody murder at one of the nurses but that’s nothing we can’t handle,” Dr Jongdae then informed with one last check of Baekhyun’s vitals.

The two doctors paused as if they knew Baekhyun needed a moment to process what they had told him, and once he did, Jongdae gave another brilliant smile. He deserved to be on some kind of toothpaste advert. 

“That being said, I suppose I can clock out for the day and go home to eat _everything_ ,” Jongdae finished as he swept from the room in a flash of white coat.

“Only if you kiss our son for me!” Dr Jun called after him with a wide smile.

Jongdae’s head then popped back around the door and his eyes sparkled happily.

“I always do, Junnie,” the doctor teased with a wink.

This time he disappeared for real. Baekhyun bypassed glancing to where Dr Jun was now hovering beside the drip and went straight to Chanyeol for some kind of explanation to which the male laughed. The male gave Baekhyun’s now warm hand another squeeze.

“Junmyeon and Jongdae are married and run this clinic together. They also have the cutest kid in Red River but as his Uncle I’m rather biased,” Chanyeol explained with another chuckle. 

“Of course Jongin’s the cutest kid in Red River,” Dr Jun then interjected as any proud Father would before looking to Baekhyun, “I’d like to try and get you eating something soft by the end of the day. Don’t force yourself to eat, but when you’re ready, shout for the nurse, even if it’s just bread and soup.”

Baekhyun supposed that the drip had given him all the essential vitamins he needed to stay alive but it didn’t replace the true value of a good meal and proper food. He wasn’t feeling quite so hungry now but he wasn’t nauseated at the sound of hot soup either. He watched as the handsome doctor gave one last check over the machinery before leaving the room to talk to a nurse hovering by.

“Have you,” Baekhyun began only to stop as Chanyeol offered him a water bottle with a metal straw inside of it.

“Try drinking some water first, I bet your throat feels dry, and sore,” he spoke, holding the straw carefully to Baekhyun’s lips.

So the boy did so, sipping slowly as he could, relishing the taste of the cold water. In the quiet moment, with Dr Jun’s faint voice in the outside corridor talking about bandage supplies, Baekhyun couldn’t help but let his eyes flicker over Chanyeol’s face. Every time he’d opened his weary eyes the male had been in the room, lingering, hovering. The kind way he tended to Baekhyun without caring for the way they were strangers made him ponder if he were a volunteer nurse or helper of some kind.

Then he remembered Chanyeol saying he’d found Baekhyun.

“Did you find me?” Baekhyun’s voice croaked slightly.

The male nodded simply as he placed the bottle of water back onto a bedside table. It was bare, except for a small, clear vase with a handful of chamomiles and a very colourfully scribbled piece of folded card covered in bears. Chanyeol made sure not to knock the artistry as he sent Baekhyun a comforting smile.

“If you’re feeling tired or confused, we don’t have to speak about it right now,” Chanyeol offered, propping his elbows on the edge of Baekhyun’s bed with a caring smile.

“I remember,” Baekhyun trailed off as his mind drew a complete blank.

He dropped his eyes from Chanyeol’s face to his pale, porcelain hands and where they were laying limply over his own torso. His fingernails were blunt, scratched and uneven. There was a lone scratch across his palm. He’d climbed over something, a gate, garden wall? He remembered his bare feet on the woodland floor and wondered if they too were cut from the sharp twigs and rocks he’d ran across.

That’s all he knew of escaping. 

“Nothing,” he breathed before glancing back to Chanyeol, “Please tell me how you found me, how I got here.”

Chanyeol’s body language was comfortable as if the story wasn’t gruesome, sad or terribly in-depth. He even gave a slight shrug as his chin balanced in his large palm.

“We knew it was vampires because of the state we found you in,” the male began, “I found you slumped on the forest floor. You must have fallen, but you were so pale and lifeless…you probably ran for miles before collapsing, but I called my friends over and we brought you here, to Red River where you would be safe. You didn’t have any belongings with you, bags or anything. It was just you.”

“Just me,” Baekhyun repeated.

He tried to picture it in his mind, what Chanyeol had told him, but his tired brain wasn’t co-operating and offered nothing. Not even the smell of the forest floor. The harder he tried to recall the more that cold hissing sound echoed and vibrated his skull until he scrunched his eyes closed. Then a warm palm covered his forehead and Baekhyun felt his whole soul soothe like golden butter.

“It’s okay,” Chanyeol’s deep voice was soft, “Relax, Dr Jun said the memories will slowly come back in time.”

“It’s the hissing noise,” Baekhyun whimpered as he clutched over his ears and wriggled in the creaky hospital bed, “I can hear him hissing!”

For a moment everything was pitch black until the dreaded drone of the hissing sound dissolved. Baekhyun’s bleary eyes peered open to see Chanyeol’s face was closer, his body leant forward and hovering above his own. His warm hands were placed gently over his, blocking out the noise, thumbs delicately stroking over Baekhyun’s.

“You’ll always be safe here. Red River is protected and so are you, as long as you’re on it,” Chanyeol spoke simply with trust-colour eyes.

Baekhyun didn’t know who Chanyeol was or what he did, but he felt so safe sharing the same space that he didn’t care. He felt the same way about the two doctors who tended to him, the warm blankets he was in and the cosy hand-me-down clothes he was placed in. Byun Baekhyun hadn’t felt safe in a long time, and now he relished in it.

☁

Chanyeol had stayed by Baekhyun’s side until his eyes were closing heavily as he spoke, and so the patient persuaded him to make his way home, eat something and rest. The silver-haired was hesitant at first but gave in easily once Dr Jun entered and warned Chanyeol wasn’t welcome back at the clinic until he’d showered. Baekhyun’s sleep was unsettled that night, due to having slept so heavily the days prior, but when he woke up the next morning Chanyeol’s chair was taken by someone else.

“Hello,” Baekhyun spoke simply with sleep in his voice.

“Hello,” the child replied with curious eyes.

The small boy was young, with sweet cheeks and the most innocent, sparkly eyes Baekhyun had ever seen. His hands played with the edge of the hospital blanket, standing by the bed in a pair of cute denim dungarees and a colourful red and yellow top beneath. The long sleeves had been folded over to fit the boy’s arms; the tell-tale sign of hand-me-down clothing.

Baekhyun glanced to the doorway to see if any parent was going crazy in the adjacent lobby but there wasn’t the slightest peep of sound from the surgery. The boy turned then with one hand lingering on the blanket, the other grabbing the ear of a teddy bear that had been carefully placed on Chanyeol’s seat. He hauled the fluffy bear under his arm with great effort before placing the bear on Baekhyun’s bed.

“I’m Nini,” the boy announced rather shyly as he held onto his bear, “This is Nini Bear. Who are you?”

The boy couldn’t have been more than 7 years old, 8 at most. He had that sweet curiosity in his eyes that kids always did, like they were scared to say anything but too interested to keep their little mouths shut.

“I’m not sure, I can’t remember,” Baekhyun glanced to the little card on the table, “Did you draw that?”

“Yes!” the child grinned happily, “Papa said giving things to people makes them feel happy. I made it to make you get better! Do you feel better?”

“I think so, thank you,” Baekhyun smiled.

The endless vitamin drips he was hooked to and the warm soup the nurse had brought him the night before had more of an effect on his health than the bear card but that was a secret he’d take to his grave. The boy grinned happily and wriggled on the spot, squeezing his bear, joy oozing from his tiny body.

“Daddy said you can’t remember things…can you remember your friends?” the boy asked as he played with the bear’s arms.

“No,” Baekhyun sighed softly, “But maybe I’ll remember soon. I’ll remember you though, and Nini Bear.”

“We can be your friends!” the boy cried happily as he bounded on the spot, “Nini and Nini Bear will be your friends! I’ll draw more things for you.”

Baekhyun heard himself laugh and felt the tug on his cheeks that came with smiling. It felt nice to wake up warm and cosy to a little happy bug like the child was, wherever he’d come from. For a split second he thought maybe he was dreaming but the boy poked at his hand that wasn’t hooked up to the drip.

“Jonginnie!” Dr Jongdae’s voice finally echoed around the quiet morning surgery as he swung into the room with a grin.

“Here, Papa!” the boy announced, “Can we listen to the boy’s heartbeat, please?”

Doctor Jongdae laughed just as joyfully as his son and suddenly Baekhyun could see all of the similarities and resemblances. This was the famous little Jongin that the married couple spoke of with love and pride. Baekhyun also recalled Chanyeol saying he was an Uncle to the child.

The doctor made a rather comical humming sound as he briefly glanced at Baekhyun’s vitals, reaching for the clipboard to pencil in any changes, before he pulled the stethoscope from his neck. Baekhyun remained still to be a good patient for mini Doctor Nini, as the boy fumbled to listen to his heartbeat. The boy announced Baekhyun had a heartbeat and wasn’t dead so he showed promise.

Jongdae placed a long, wet kiss on the child’s head and made no attempt of hiding the way he smelt the child’s hair. Baekhyun wondered what that must have been like and yet, unsurprisingly, his mind offered him nothing. A blank canvas of _void_ replaced any possible memories of children he once looked after, or even his own parents.

“Aren’t you the best baby doctor! My clever boy,” Dr Jongdae cooed.

He pressed another kiss to Jongin’s cheek before leaving the child sat on the bed beside Baekhyun with a final pat on the head. Baekhyun smiled to himself and was glad of the company; he couldn’t help but wonder if Chanyeol would come later on. It seemed Jongdae was rather glad of his patient-come-babysitting service too as he tucked Baekhyun in some more and patted his leg.

“What’s the boy’s name, Papa?” Jongin then asked in a rather loud whisper as he glanced up at his father.

“We’re not sure until he remembers but his name and other things will come in good time,” the doctor spoke conversationally as he took Baekhyun’s temperature, “Why don’t you help him choose something that we can all use for a little while, hmm? I don’t approve of your Daddy calling a man that isn’t me Sleeping Beauty.”

Baekhyun couldn’t help but scoff at the statement; he hadn’t seen himself in a while, not that he remembered much on that front either, but knew he was no comparison at all to the absolute television beauty of the doctor. Who’d choose a pale, bite-ridden sack of bones like him over Doctor Jongdae?

Jongin on the other hand, got himself comfy on the bed, sitting criss-cross-apple-sauce to tilt his head and peer over Baekhyun. His chubby hands squeezed the teddy bear’s arms in thought.

“You can’t call him Nini!” the doctor interrupted as the boy’s mouth opened, pointing at him warningly before lowering his tone for Baekhyun’s ears, “He’s going through a phase where _everything_ is now called Nini, Nini bear, Nini pig, _Nini bath tub_.”

A female’s voice then called out to Jongdae from the lobby and so the doctor kissed his boy’s head for the fifth hundredth time.

“Let me know what you guys decide,” was all the doctor said as he glided from the room.

“Hmm,” Baekhyun spoke lightly as he turned back to Jongin, “Guess we’re going to be pretty busy, huh?”

☁

In the few days that followed Baekhyun began to feel better. His appetite grew with haste; the nurses on call kept bringing him in fresh fruit, warm brownies and sweet loaves to fill him up with. Even Taeil, the youngest male nurse would grin and offer Baekhyun pretty looking tarts. The more foods that Baekhyun ate, the more the boy remembered what he liked to eat, and even some of his favourite dishes.

He’d spent time drawing colourful pictures with Jongin – _he wasn’t so great at that_ – until Dr Jun presented him with a bag of tattered books for him to peruse. Said doctor had found Baekhyun late that night, fast asleep with a bruised copy of The Night Circus perched across his chest as he snored in content. The patient’s limbs grew restless as his body released the energy all the food had given him and soon he felt well enough to walk around the clinic. It delighted little Jongin who tugged him along hand in hand, showing him his Fathers’ office and pointing at pictures on the wall he liked.

Chanyeol had a shit-eating grin across his face when he’d walked into the lobby one morning to see Baekhyun was a whole head shorter than him. He’d called Baekhyun ‘Little Koi’ ever since then and it caught on with the rest of the clinic. Baekhyun was quite sure if he ever left the clinic the whole Red River preserve would know him only as ‘Koia’, Jongin’s adaptation.

Baekhyun felt as if he should have been more apprehensive about the day Dr Jun or Dr Jongdae would waltz into his room and tell him he was free to leave their care. He still couldn’t remember his own name and didn’t even know where he was born. Dr Jun had suggested looking at local maps to see if any local town names resonated with him but when he and Chanyeol sat by the window with an old tourist map between them, Baekhyun felt nothing.

But now he realised, Red River made him feel something. Waking up to the sounds of Jongdae singing trot songs across the quiet clinic and falling asleep listening to Junmyeon’s soft footsteps in the evening meant _something_ to him. He couldn’t imagine being somewhere Jongin didn’t come running in with a new picture for Baekhyun to critique or Taeil presenting him with sliced apples in pretty patterns.

He couldn’t imagine being sat alone in a far off town, watching the door all day for Chanyeol to never arrive.

Chanyeol was kind, and warm, sorta clumsy but also hilarious. They were strangers and yet Baekhyun felt lost without Chanyeol softly explaining something to him about Red River and its occupants. The male seemed to understand what Baekhyun went through all without freaking out or disregarding it as a fairytale. Baekhyun was sure that within his life he’d felt comforted and understood by someone before, but that wasn’t even a dream at this point, it was a wiped out memory. Chanyeol was a constant, safe presence that Baekhyun didn’t want to go without.

It was eventually decided that with Baekhyun well enough to leave the clinic, but still experiencing the heavy memory loss he was, it would make sense for him to stay at the doctor’s family home. The house itself was a good size with a spare room ready for use and sat behind the small clinic, so if Baekhyun ever needed help, he could find it all too easily.

It was a typical family home, with a lively kitchen and a fridge filled with endless leftovers the residents offered the doctors. Jongin was ecstatic to have a new playmate in the house to build lego towers with and Jongdae was delighted whenever Baekhyun offered to do laundry or clean the kitchen in return for their help.

“What’s ours is yours, Koi,” Junmyeon had declared when Baekhyun caught sight of the huge bookcases in the hallway, “Do whatever it is to make yourself feel at home here.”

Baekhyun did, but there was something he had been avoiding, and he couldn’t escape it anymore.

It was a warm, late evening; a seemingly rare one where both doctors were home for the night instead of one working the clinic nightshift. Jongin had been in bed for a little while now and after tucking the child in, Jongdae had hovered at the guest room door and suggested Baekhyun take a relaxing bath. Baekhyun had tugged at the sleeves of the hoodie he’d woken up in nervously but nodded nevertheless.

The two doctors obviously knew Baekhyun had been avoiding mirrors. The male tended to take long washes in front of the family bathroom sink or quick, steamy showers so that he didn’t have to look at the puncturing scars that littered his arms and legs. Junmyeon had subtly told him that the vampire scars would fade away in time, the healthier Baekhyun became and the more sunshine he enjoyed, but nothing could have prepared him for this.

Baekhyun felt disheartened at the pale and frail body that stood naked in front of the bathroom mirror. As he edged closer to the mirror his eyes connected every scar like they were scatterings of freckles across his arms and shoulders. Even the flesh of his tummy wasn’t safe from the teeth marks. His breath audibly hitched as his own shaking fingertips grazed against them.

He suddenly knew which vampire had made what mark and the feeling was like being hit with a lorry. He flinched away from himself like his skin was scorching hot and turned from the mirror to crouch down beside the bathtub, brace himself to the tub’s edge and squeezing his eyes shut with a tiny whimper. Baekhyun could hear them all laughing, taunting, the shriek of a bat and the flap of its wing, a _hiss-_

“Koi?” Jongdae’s voice was as soft as the rap of his knuckles on the door.

Baekhyun caught his breath at the sound and his eyes flung open. He saw spots and bleary marks for a moment from having squeezed them closed so tightly but they faded once he focused in on the closed bathroom door. His hands released their tight grip from the tub’s edge and instead wrapped around himself.

“Yes?”

He hoped his voice didn’t sound as weak or tiny as he suddenly felt.

“I just wondered if you needed a fresh towel?”

Baekhyun glanced to the sage-coloured cabinet against the wall with a couple of soft looking towels folded neatly onto it. There was even a colourful one of Jongin’s hanging from a heated rail from the child’s own bath that night. He sighed in relief; the last thing he wanted was one of the doctor’s barging in on him naked in a ball on the bathmat.

“There’s some in here,” Baekhyun responded, “Thank you.”

He listened to Jongdae’s footsteps drift down the hall before he got up. Baekhyun had the largest towel he could find covering the long mirror so that he could no longer see his reflection in it. He felt better then, as if his body was safe from his own judgement, as he carefully stepped into the warm, bubbly bath. The suds and soap practically overflowed and covered his body from sight, and only then as he relaxed could he smell the homemade lavender soaps on the side for him to use.

Baekhyun’s bones eased in the warm water beneath the suds. He carefully dunked his head beneath the surface for a moment to wet his hair and wash his face. When he came back up he was reminded of the way Chanyeol’s hands always felt so warm, and how that warmth flushed through his body whenever the male’s palms touched his forehead, or brushed his hair.

He wondered what Chanyeol was doing at that moment, and even though they were separated by different houses across the preservation, Baekhyun still felt safe at the thought of his new friend.

☁

“So down there, the big, dark red coloured house, that’s Head Alpha Minho’s house,” Chanyeol explained as he and Baekhyun stood at a crossroads one morning, “That road goes to the lake edge and the fishing boats. We’re going up this road today.”

Baekhyun felt like an alien as he stood beside Chanyeol, watching the tall male point at roads and houses, desperately trying to make mental notes but all the quaint wooden buildings looked so alike. The town’s crossroads was in the centre of the tiny town, and bustled as they stood there, a couple of kids on bikes whizzed past with curious eyes on the newcomer. Baekhyun felt tiny, and not just because he was stood next to a human lamppost.

He and Chanyeol had walked to the lake’s edge before one late afternoon with an excited Jongin in tow, but they’d taken a woodland path that even the little boy knew off by heart. It turned out the doctor’s house and clinic was rather close to the lake as the woodland path quickly revealed a pebbled, sandy edge which Jongin skipped and jumped along with joy. Chanyeol chased the boy excitedly along the shore, hauling him up and blowing raspberries onto his pudgy tummy.

Baekhyun had toed off the beat up trainers Junmyeon had found for him in the clinic lost property box and dipped his feet into the cool water with a smile. Then Jongin had charged at him, his little jeans soaked, kicking up the water with a mischievous laugh that Baekhyun found too infectious to scold.

Red River had beautiful scenery. The golden sun turned the sky orange around three o’clock and it reflected onto the huge lake that the town was placed beside. Tall redwood trees surrounded the town and lake and stood like soldiers. The trees made the town homely and private – _safe_ – and even the far off mountain peaks stood proudly all the way over in the distance, the other side of the vast lake. As he stood in the little town, with old cobbled streets and rustic trucks parked outside of small shops, Baekhyun felt just as charmed.

“This way,” Chanyeol nudged with a smile.

His large hand hovered over Baekhyun’s elbow for a moment, and Baekhyun glanced at Chanyeol’s large, warm hand as if he’d missed his touch. He supposed he did. The taller chuckled as he ushered him along the path that lead toward a residential looking street. Baekhyun took in his surroundings as they walked, smiling at the sound of seagulls overhead, and the hanging flowerpots that adorned windows.

“Do you live up here?” Baekhyun asked enquiringly.

He knew it wasn’t their destination but he was curious anyway. Chanyeol shook his head and gestured back to one of the roads they’d come from as if Baekhyun knew exactly where he meant.

“There’s a dirt road that connects this road to Minho’s, me and my Halmeoni live along there. She raised me since I was a kid, so it’s just me and her,” Chanyeol’s voice cracked ever so and he spoke with a strange tone.

Baekhyun figured in a small town like this, the taller didn’t have to explain his home life so often, others simply already knew it. Probably in the same way the residents simply glanced at Baekhyun as if they already knew everything about him without having to ask. Baekhyun tugged at the old sweater sleeves Junmyeon had loaned him and figured maybe that was a good thing.

“She wants you to come by one of these days so she can meet you, actually,” Chanyeol then confessed with a laugh, “I think she heard how skinny you are and she wants to fatten you up.”

“I think that would be nice,” Baekhyun replied a little too quickly.

The thought of seeing the place Chanyeol grew up and meeting the woman who raised him made Baekhyun smile. He wondered if making new memories would help provoke his old ones, like holding a specific item or eating certain foods would take him back to who he really was. When everyone was asleep in Jun and Jongdae’s house, he often trailed his fingertips over the kitchen table, decorative bowls, even Jongin’s toys…but nothing ever came from it.

“This is the place,” Chanyeol’s voice pierced Baekhyun’s thoughts.

They stopped outside of a small, single story house with lilac painted wooden sidings. A couple of hanging baskets filled with over-spilling flowers hung over a simple porch, looking as if they had been planted with good intentions yet forgotten. Baekhyun glanced over it nervously when Chanyeol’s warm hand found his shoulder once again and squeezed.

“Seulgi and Irene can be a little…excitable but they’ll look after you,” Chanyeol paused as excitable feet could be heard looming from inside the lilac house, “I’ll be back here in an hour or so to walk you home, okay?”

Baekhyun audibly gulped and Chanyeol gave an answer to the question behind the boy’s eyes.

“I’ll get you back home before the sun sets, don’t worry, little koi.”

“Is this him?!” a beautiful girl called as she approached them with a measuring tape around her neck, wasting no time in touching Baekhyun’s petite waist and releasing a satisfied noise from it, “Seulgi! Look at this pretty little waist!”

More excitable feet came as a brunette girl practically skipped over with a beaming smile, almost tripping over herself to examine Baekhyun’s body. The male sent an alarmed look to Chanyeol as he was poked and pinched at by the two girls, who were eagerly chatting to each other already, but the silver haired male sent him a comforting nod.

“I’ll be back in an hour,” Chanyeol reconfirmed with a wave.

All Baekhyun could do was watch the male over his shoulder as he was dragged into the lilac house then the door was closed behind them.

For the next hour Baekhyun became a personal Barbie doll to Irene and Seulgi. His ears could hear the constant whirring of a sewing machine between the ladies endless discussions. The two seamstresses whipped up new clothes from old scraps and dressed him with outfits to fit his slender figure and Baekhyun hated every minute of it. Nothing was said about the scars that littered his body but they had both seen them, that was clear, and he knew once he left they’d be topic of discussion.

He had mumbled once about clothes that were comfortable and baggy but the sewing machine must have drowned him out. When Chanyeol’s knuckles had rapped on the door Baekhyun was sent out to meet him in some tight, high rise denim shorts and a god-awful cropped t-shirt so that all of Red River could see his bite-ridden body. Chanyeol took the large bag of new, folded clothes from Irene and thanked them both as they walked away from the lilac house.

Baekhyun was too inside of his head to hear whatever Chanyeol was saying, let alone respond. They got a good two houses away from the lilac house when Baekhyun suddenly snatched inside the bag and pulled out Junmyeon’s jumper, deep from its place at the bottom, and hauled it over himself eagerly. He didn’t see the way Chanyeol’s eyes glanced over him sadly.

“Everyone’s gonna see me, I don’t want them to see me,” Baekhyun hissed urgently as he pulled the sweater sleeves past his hands, “I-it’s gonna get dark soon.”

It was barely two o’clock in the afternoon but Chanyeol understood what Baekhyun meant. Baekhyun had lived in a dark, endless cycle of hell with the vampire coven and it left him shaking with fear some nights when the moon was just a little too wide and bright in the sky for his liking. No matter how many times he was told he would be safe at Red River it didn’t change his fear of the vampires hunting him down.

The walk back to Jongdae and Junmyeon’s was rather rushed. Baekhyun didn’t look up from his feet once and his hands didn’t emerge from the sweater sleeves. Chanyeol kept up with the boy’s hurried strides easily enough with his own long legs but his concern was obvious; Baekhyun could see his wary expression from the corner of his eye. When they reached the porch, Baekhyun felt himself come to a stop.

“I’m sorry if you’re upset about something,” Chanyeol said earnestly, “Jongdae just wanted you to have clothes of your own and the girls love tailoring things for new people, don’t be mad at them.”

“It’s not that, it’s…you,” Baekhyun’s hands began to shake as he gathered some kind of words to express himself when he just wanted to curl up in a ball and disappear, “You found me, you saw what they did to me, what they did to my skin and I just _don’t_ want people to see that!”

The male took the bag of clothes from Chanyeol’s hands as his breath hitched.

“I’m sorry, Chanyeol.”

Baekhyun heard himself apologise as he rushed inside the house and closed the door softly behind him. He didn’t mean to go all bathroom-breakdown on Chanyeol, who had been nothing but a source of support, but he just had to get inside. Baekhyun wanted to get out of these new, tight clothes and back into the old sweats they’d dressed him in on arrival here. He rushed upstairs into his small room and changed with ferocity, squeezing his eyes shut so as not to see the marks across himself. He left the bag of clothes beside a small dresser and pulled the duvet over his head until he forced himself to sleep.

☁

Cold fingertips, like ice.

They held onto his jaw, turned it this way and that and he allowed it, lifelessly. The pad of a thumb drawing his bottom lip down and a rasping chuckle as it bounced back into its place. Baekhyun couldn’t move, he tried, but his body was still as a stone as they toyed with him. He couldn’t even open his eyes, as if they were being forced shut. All his body could do was shake, tense and take it, take the evil.

When he heard a cold laugh that was so frightfully familiar and too close to his ear he finally realised that he could scream out, and so he did.

Baekhyun woke up to Jongdae’s firm voice as his chest heaved up and down, desperate for oxygen. Jongdae shushed him comfortingly, his face lit up by the bedside lamp, his hand stroking through Baekhyun’s hair to soothe him. He blinked around the room and realised he’d thrashed off his duvet and a glass of water was smashed across the floor beside Jongdae.

As he caught his breath he realised he could hear a far off sobbing noise that made him glance around in confusion.

“It was just a nightmare, sweetheart,” Jongdae assured him softly, “You’re safe. You’re home with us and it was all just a bad dream.”

“It felt so real,” Baekhyun’s voice cracked as his eyes glassed over with tears.

Jongdae shushed him comfortingly, hutching closer to him to wipe away any tears before they could spill over. The smile on his face made Baekhyun’s heart begin to calm, especially when Jongdae’s hand stroked over his cheek and a warm glow flowed through his cold body. It felt like heaven to Baekhyun. He couldn’t help but melt into the doctor’s caring touch.

It was a different kind of touch compared to the way Chanyeol would tend to him in the clinic and that thought alone made his eyes water up again.

“One day it’ll all be a bad dream,” Jongdae spoke softly as if manifesting it for the household, “Chanyeol said you had a bad day.”

Baekhyun only had the strength to nod and it caused a fatherly smile to spread across Jongdae’s face.

“Tomorrow’s a brand new one and it’ll be better, so think about that instead, okay? The sun’s going to come out and shine just for you,” Jongdae promised and Baekhyun couldn’t help but smile weakly in response.

A soft, sniffling noise arrived and Junmyeon arrived, hovering in the doorway of Baekhyun’s room with a concerned look in his eyes. Jongin was clutched in his Father’s arms like a tiny koala in his bear pyjamas, his teddy bear in one hand and Junmyeon’s shirt material grasped in the other. Junmyeon’s face relaxed quite obviously when he saw Baekhyun was conscious, and comforted by Jongdae.

“This one wouldn’t go back to sleep until he knew you were okay,” Junmyeon’s voice was soft and sweet to the ear as he rocked his son back and forth.

“Bad dreams are scary,” Jongin hiccupped from where his face was pressed into Junmyeon’s neck.

“But they’re just dreams,” Jongdae spoke softly as he gave Baekhyun’s cheek one last comforting squeeze.

“And sunshine will come out tomorrow.”

Jongin finished his Father’s advice and caused everyone to break into warm smiles. Jongdae grinned contentedly to himself as he leaned down to pick up the few pieces of glass across the floor with care. Junmyeon placed Jongin beside Baekhyun on the bed and helped his husband, both idly chattering about getting a cloth for it and fetching fresh blankets for Baekhyun.

Jongin immediately snuggled into his Baekhyun’s chest and the male felt comforted by the small, warm weight of the boy. Even Jongin’s teddy bear felt cosy tucked between them both. The child drifted to sleep immediately and caused Baekhyun to do the same. The two doctors smiled warmly when they returned and saw the sweet sight. Jongdae covered them both with a blanket and kissed his son’s goodnight, even if one of them was far too old to have been born from his womb.

☁

“Good morning, sleepy head,” Jongdae greeted as Baekhyun entered the bright and breezy kitchen, “A mysterious bag arrived for you.”

The rest of his sleep had been solid, no dreams or even thoughts, Baekhyun hadn’t even roused when Jongin had clambered out of bed at dawn as kids always did. He’d woken up with Nini the bear tucked under his chin and a faint memory of what had happened the night before. He’d simply stumbled downstairs to the smells of Junmyeon cooking and it turned out Jongdae was right, the sun had come out, and the back door was open to let a sunny breeze fill the kitchen.

“There, there!”

Jongin pointed excitedly at a paper shopping bag on the edge of the counter with Baekhyun’s name clearly tagged to it. The male peered into it curiously - wondering what who when why and mostly _huh_ – and was met with a soft looking dark yellow plaid material and immediately sank. Had Irene and Seulgi made him more clothes overnight?!

“I’ll go through it later,” Baekhyun mumbled dismissively.

“Chanyeol dropped them off early,” Jongdae suddenly blurted out with a mischievous grin, “Looks like his old shirts…but come eat first.”

Baekhyun’s lip wobbled as his curiosity peeked again but Junmyeon pushed a plateful of warm, golden eggs and bacon into his hands and ushered him to the table. The doctors chuckled to themselves as Baekhyun dropped into a free seat and did as he was told, even if he kept glancing over his shoulder to the bag on the counter.

As he ate and listened to Jongin talk about just what he wanted to do today – play outside, paint, and eat cupcakes but not in that order – Baekhyun thought back to yesterday. Irene and Seulgi seeing his scars had knocked him back a little and he’d snapped in front of Chanyeol when he was only trying to help. He definitely wanted to find him at some point today and apologise for what happened.

He practically demolished his breakfast just to rush back upstairs with the paper bag, unaware of Jongdae and Junmyeon giggling to each other in his wake. Baekhyun perched on the edge of his bed and reached into the bag. Each item was exactly what he wanted, a couple of big t-shirts that looked like they’d swamp him, huge plaid shirts, jogging bottoms and even an old pair of jeans that looked years old.

Most importantly, they all smelt like Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s cheeks blushed the brightest poppy red when Jongin skidded inside with Jongdae at his heels, catching him in the act. Jongin reached for his teddy bear and squeezed it happily, pulling himself onto the bed beside Baekhyun, as Jongdae hovered by the door with a shit-eating grin.

“More clothes?” he smirked, “Do you want me to throw them in the washer dryer?”

Jongin wrapped his arms around Baekhyun’s neck from behind to peer over his shoulders and glance at the haul curiously. Baekhyun loved how the child was a walking hot water bottle as he folded the clothes with care and flushed cheeks.

“N-no!” Baekhyun blurted embarrassingly quickly, “They’re okay, thanks…”

“Okay, sweetie. We’re driving over to Junnie’s Eomma’s house if you want to come along, or we can drop you at Chanyeol’s house so you can thank him?” Jongdae asked with a devilish grin.

Baekhyun held his enthusiastic tongue and nodded instead, mumbling a thank you before concentrating on play eating Jongin’s little arms and hands. He chuckled as the boy wriggled away laughing happily with the bear in tow.

When Junmyeon’s truck pulled up outside of a small, wooden home Jongdae turned in his seat and offered a small key in Baekhyun’s direction. Baekhyun was distracted with unclicking his belt that at first he didn’t notice until Jongin laughed and called his nickname playfully. The male glanced at the key and took it slowly, unsure of its use.

“You keep the spare key so you can come and go as you please, Koi fish,” Jongdae explained as he dropped the key into Baekhyun’s hands, “We’ll get another one printed at some point. Chanyeol knows where Jun’s Eomma lives if you need us at any point, okay?”

The rest of the sentence went unheard as Baekhyun stared at the shiny key in his palm that had been bestowed to him. He swallowed thickly.

“What’s wrong?” Jun queried in worry, cutting the engine and turning in his seat, “Did you remember something?”

A tiny breath of air fluttered through Baekhyun’s lips as he enclosed his palm around the key safely. He smiled simply.

“No, I just…feel touched. Thank you for giving me my own key.”

When Baekhyun glanced back up he was met by Jongdae and Junmyeon’s smiling faces, looking at him like _he_ was the wonderful one. He grinned happily and thanked them again and after blowing a raspberry on Jongin’s sweet cheek he hopped out of the truck. He waved as the truck travelled along the dirt track and off into Red River and Baekhyun couldn’t help but glance down at the shiny key in his hand again, until the sound of his name caught his attention.

“Hey, little Koi,” Chanyeol grinned.

So maybe it wasn’t his name, but it still sounded good. Baekhyun couldn’t help but smile when Chanyeol all but hopped down his porch steps and met him by the mail box. He felt bashful standing in front of the tall male in all of his clothes but Chanyeol grinned as he glanced over Baekhyun.

“That seems more your style. I was kinda worried about you yesterday, you know.”

“I came over to apologise and thank you all at once,” Baekhyun chuckled and couldn’t contain his smile, “Jongdae and Jun gave me my own key for the house.”

He then showed the shiny object to Chanyeol like Jongin would have showed his parents something he’d found or made, and the tall male gave the same response Jun and Jongdae would.

“That’s great, not that I expect anything less,” Chanyeol chuckled as he tenderly adjusted the collar of his own shirt around Baekhyun’s neck, “You’re part of the Doctor Kim family now, and part of Red River.”

“Thank you, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun breathed as he clutched the key, “For everything. You found me and brought me here, you look out for me and you’ve become someone I rely on…for a guy who woke up with nothing, it means a lot.”

For being a tall, broad, muscle man Chanyeol sure had the goofiest grin Baekhyun had ever seen. It made his ears move along with it and when Chanyeol’s cheeks flushed his own followed suit like it was a new trend.

“You’re welcome. I…like looking after you, and you don’t have to thank me for the clothes either. I should have known the girls would go a little crazy, I dread to think what’s in the bag they gave you, actually,” Chanyeol chuckled as he scratched the back of his head.

“The guys went to Junmyeon’s parents home and since I have a key, I’m free all day,” Baekhyun grinned and pointed towards Chanyeol’s house, “Is your Halmeoni inside?”

“Oh I see, you came over for a free meal from Halmeoni, you didn’t wanna see me at all!” Chanyeol joked as his large hand playfully pushed at Baekhyun’s shoulder.

Baekhyun nearly lost his footing from the mere percent of strength Chanyeol put on him and really fought with gravity to stay put, laughing all the same.

“She’s visiting friends in Clearwater so it’s just my company today, I’m afraid,” the male continued with a soft shrug.

“Well…”

Baekhyun glanced around him at the other similar houses dotted near Chanyeol’s. Past Chanyeol’s backyard was an area of the sparse surrounding woods with an obvious trodden path leading from Chanyeol’s place into the forest. Baekhyun wondered where all these woodland trails went to, and who travelled upon them, what else there was to see around here. 

“What do you guys do for fun at Red River?” 

☁

“Oh! You see that tree? That’s where I had my first kiss,” Chanyeol chuckled as he pointed over to a large redwood with moss winding up its trunk, “Johnny dared me and Sehun to kiss and I’m not one to back down.”

Baekhyun laughed as he imagined it, a gang of neighbourhood kids having grown up together, spending all summer playing in the forest and running along the river. If he imagined it hard enough, he felt like he was there too, laughing loudly and climbing over fallen trees. The sun was high in the sky but its rays were speckled across the forest floor from the leaves in the high, high trees. The sound of the river trickling soothed Baekhyun’s soul and its cool waters felt perfect to his bare feet.

Chanyeol was leading the way and following the stream along its course out toward the lake, he’d told Baekhyun that as kids they would do this day after day, splashing through the water until they reached the shoreline. Baekhyun was all too happy to trudge through the shallow waters and admire the forest scenery, especially when he and Chanyeol spotted a couple of deer watching them from afar, camouflaged.

It was peaceful even with the ghosts of Chanyeol’s childhood memories running around them.

The taller male kept glancing over his shoulder to make sure Baekhyun wasn’t too far behind him, or didn’t look too tired, and had an old backpack over his shoulders filled with snacks. Baekhyun found himself keeping up well enough, his beat up shoes one in each hand, and occasionally kicked and splashed the back of Chanyeol’s leg with mischievous intent.

“I bet these trees have a lot of stories like that,” Baekhyun offered as he paused to glance at the majestic towering oaks that grew way past their heads, “Years and years of stories.”

“Do you think they’ll know yours if we ask?” Chanyeol chuckled with a grin.

“It’s definitely worth a try!”

Baekhyun couldn’t help but laugh in response. With what had happened to him, if a talking tree bumped him on the head to tell him who he was he’d be grateful rather than shocked or terrified. He was more than happy to have a tree talk to him, but then again, he was with Chanyeol.

The latter stopped then and turned, cupping his hands around his mouth to shout loudly.

“Does anyone here know little Koi fish’s name?!”

His deep, booming shouts echoed for what seemed like miles through the empty forest, and a few wood pigeons squawked and flew off in a fuss because of it. When the echo died down all Baekhyun could hear was the lapping of water at his feet and the rustle of the leaves up above. He smiled at the sound nevertheless.

“Hm,” Chanyeol hummed as he smiled at Baekhyun, “Maybe they’ll answer another time.”

“Maybe,” Baekhyun agreed before his footing slipped along the riverbed.

He let out a slight noise as he wobbled and Chanyeol took no time in reaching out to hold him steady, his large hands gripping to Baekhyun’s upper arms, warm as ever through the plaid shirt. Baekhyun whispered his thanks as he regained his balance, his hands finding Chanyeol’s wrists. There was something so natural about being with Chanyeol; being in the middle of nowhere with Chanyeol.

“Let’s go sit down, we’ve walked quite a while,” Chanyeol then spoke and Baekhyun acknowledged they probably had been.

The taller male kept one arm on Baekhyun as he gracefully stepped up onto the riverbank before helping the shorter onto dry land. Baekhyun thanked him again before letting out a laugh and pointing over to the kissing tree that they were now on the side of.

“Is this what you did to that Sehun guy too?” Baekhyun joked with a grin, “Wore him out with a long walk and then kissed him under a tree? Is that your special move?”

“Hey! I told you it was a dare, and if you don’t do a dare then you have to do the forfeit and I’m not gonna eat whatever weird berries or leaves the guys find,” Chanyeol laughed.

He plonked the backpack between them and unzipped it to reveal the small array of snacks that they had to share. Baekhyun liked the way Chanyeol could take a joke and grin at his childhood shenanigans. No doubt Chanyeol was running off to bring said weird berries for someone else to eat as a forfeit, like all kids did. Baekhyun glanced across the scenery and wondered if one day little Jongin would be doing the same, running along the river with his friends but Chanyeol popped open a Tupperware and the sound distracted him.

They both sat contently to the sound of the river and ate the cut up pieces of apple Chanyeol had quickly prepared in his kitchen.

“Red River doesn’t seem like the kind of place to get new visitors often,” Baekhyun observed between slices, “Do you think you’d ever leave here?”

“No…and no.”

Chanyeol answered then leaned back onto the forest floor to lay and stare up at the leaves above them. He tucked his arms under his head for comfort as his loose vest draped over his rather worked out torso. Baekhyun realised he was staring when his eyes caught a large strip of golden skin that was in fact Chanyeol’s hip and diverted his eyes quickly to a kingfisher zigzagging its way across the river’s surface.

“Did I say the wrong thing?” Baekhyun heard himself ask.

“No!” Chanyeol repeated himself again, realised, then chuckled.

The male got himself comfortable as he closed his eyes and Baekhyun didn’t feel as bad staring, then. He even took the moment to let the plaid shirt slip over his shoulders and hang around his elbows from its place over his t-shirt. He figured Chanyeol had seen his body in a worse state and a glimpse of his scarred arms wouldn’t be much different.

“Red River and the other preservation towns around here are different. We value family and community, and we have history that binds us together for life. Sure, if I wanted to I could leave, a couple of my friends moved over to Clearwater because they met girls they liked over there but…my place is here,” Chanyeol opened his eyes and gazed into Baekhyun’s as if he knew the other were staring, “You’ll understand about it someday. I’d like for you to understand.”

Baekhyun took in Chanyeol’s words and felt himself nod.

“Okay, _Jacob Black_ ,” he jeered with a grin.

“How can you not remember your own name but remember the Twilight saga?” Chanyeol burst out loudly as his hands found his stomach to clutch at and laugh.

Chanyeol definitely got him there, Baekhyun admitted with a chuckle, trying not to think too much into it. Today was too nice a day to start thinking about covens, whichever type they may be. As he bit into another apple slice Chanyeol caught his attention.

“I could ask the same question to you though, about leaving, one day I might wake up to the news you’ve left town in the middle of the night or something.”

It sounded like more of an admission than a question, something that Chanyeol had thought and pondered over more than once, and that alone provoked thoughts in Baekhyun’s own head. He shrugged after a moment of trying to imagine what Chanyeol had described but he couldn’t quite picture it. Not that he’d get very far anyway, without a name.

“If I wanted to leave it would be useless without my ID, or money just as importantly,” Baekhyun huffed as he picked at a small stone by his feet, “And that’s all in my backpack.”

There was a long silence that hung between the two, but then Chanyeol sat up as urgently as Baekhyun swivelled round to face him.

“My backpack!”

“Your backpack?”

They had both called it out in unison but Chanyeol held his tongue back, glancing across Baekhyun’s face, watching the cogs of his mind work. Baekhyun looked to Chanyeol’s backpack and held it in his hands, shaking it ever so.

“I have a backpack, I arrived to the coven with my backpack! It’s brown faux leather and it’s the same size as this and I always keep my passport and spare money in a secret pocket inside the main pocket,” Baekhyun’s voice trailed off slowly as he closed his eyes.

He could feel it in his hands then, it was only slightly worn and scuffed because he always took good care of it. It was expensive and he even faintly, very faintly, recalled buying it himself. The front pockets always had tissues, curled up earphones and odd pennies; his breath hitched. He’d begged them to let him keep it with tears rolling down his cheeks. He clutched it to him on his first night there.

But that was all his mind could offer.

“Hey,” Chanyeol’s voice was low but soft as the pad of his thumb caught a lone tear falling down Baekhyun’s cheek.

Baekhyun glanced at Chanyeol before realising he was clutching so tightly at the male’s backpack. He released it from his grip and plonked it between them with a sniff. Chanyeol held his face and Baekhyun didn’t dare look away.

“I will never let them hurt you again, koi. Never,” Chanyeol swore with venom and Baekhyun believed it.

In fact, he truly believed that this guy he barely knew would never let anything happen to him. Maybe that was the beauty of these small towns like Red River, they were protective of their own, and maybe Baekhyun had become one of their own. When he thought of leaving this tiny place that he knew nothing of, a shiver of fright went up his spine and chilled his torso in the process.

“I know that,” Baekhyun spoke before he leaned across and placed a soft kiss on Chanyeol’s cheek since they were oh-so-close anyway, “I believe that. Thank you.”

For a guy who seemed twice his height and quadruple his muscle-mass Park Chanyeol sure did blush like a ripe tomato at a mere, simple kiss and it sent Baekhyun immediately bursting into laughter. The more he laughed the more Chanyeol’s lips kept wobbling but any flummoxed explanation went unheard. Baekhyun’s frail body was practically rolling along the forest floor with tears streaming down his face from laughter.

Chanyeol had never seen something so pretty when the leaf-lit sunshine glowed upon Baekhyun’s laughing face and bare arms; a couple of small leaves caught in his pitch black hair.

“C’mon, we’ve still gotta get to the shoreline,” Chanyeol huffed as he tried to tug a limp due to laughter Baekhyun to his feet.

Baekhyun eventually caught his breath and followed after the other to the shore, biting his lip whenever Chanyeol looked over his shoulder and revealed just how pink his cheeks still were.

☁

“So,” a low, gruff and unfamiliar voice came, “How’s the kid doing?”

The clinic stayed open throughout the night and was considerably quiet and calm compared to its daily comings and goings. At night the small clinic was lit softly, any overnight patients slept soundly and talk radio often played on a low volume; a serene environment for those seeking solace. On nights where sleep escaped Baekhyun – or nightmares lingered in the back of his mind – he would often sneak here and help out.

Tonight it was Junmyeon who had night duty, and he was obviously with someone. Baekhyun made sure to shut the front door as quietly as he could behind him, listening into the voices.

“He’s doing better than we thought. He’s become a real member of the family and Jongin loves him like a brother,” Junmyeon then sighed, “It’s the night we worry about most.”

As he stood listening out of view, Baekhyun’s stomach churned in a sickly way. He knew he should have announced his presence, or better yet turned to leave, out the way of the private conversation but he couldn’t. Curiosity was growing within him like a snake winding up his leg. 

“He has nightmares and wakes up in the middle of the night screaming, but that’s something we can deal with. Sometimes when he sleeps he’s so still but he speaks in tongues, some strange language, like something has a hold of him. The worst part is I don’t think he even realises it,” Junmyeon explained lowly, “I think they’re trying to talk to us through him.”

Baekhyun immediately grabbed at his throat in disbelief but the other voice was talking before he could even process what Junmyeon had said.

“They’re taunting us,” the gruff voice came quickly, “But they won’t step onto our land unless they want to break the treaty, so they’re hoping we break it first, trying to anger us enough to lure us in.”

“And that’s something we can’t let happen for our communities sake,” the doctor said.

“And the communities around us. I’ll talk to the other alphas soon and up the patrols on the borders…I don’t want the young ones straying out too far,” the other male announced.

There was a strange aura to the conversation that felt private to Baekhyun. He knew that he’d heard enough, too much, and decided to creep carefully the way he came to the door.

“I’m pulling Chanyeol out of running for a while,”

Baekhyun froze on the spot and hovered, silent. He knew that he should have kept going and headed back home but the mention of Chanyeol hit different. He craned his ear toward the voices at the sound of his friend’s name and frowned in puzzlement as they spoke.

“He’s barely twenty-one and no matter how much he argues it, he can’t control his temper yet. If the coven get into his head he won’t think twice about marching in there and causing havoc,” the voice scoffed, “Especially on the kid’s behalf.”

“Minho,” Junmyeon then chuckled, “I hate to remind you that you were a young, hot-headed alpha once upon a time too. This isn’t the first time I’ve patched you up.”

“Yeah, don’t I know it,” Minho then chuckled.

Baekhyun fell into his thoughts, staring at the fake plotted plant in the corner of the room. The way the people in Red River knew and spoke of vampires meant they’d known of them for a while, Baekhyun had never had to explain what happened to him because the doctors seemed to have already known, like they’d been there. Had they lost people of their own to the coven before?

_Had Chanyeol?_

“I just want to keep Chanyeol close and grounded until he matures a little more. The way I know he won’t hesitate is what scares me the most,” the voice sighed raggedly.

“I know, Minho, but don’t underestimate him either. You taught him everything he knows, and even if he is young, he hears your voice in his head.”

Junmyeon’s tone was comforting as ever and for a moment Baekhyun forgot that he was hiding in the shadows and felt comforted himself, even if his mind was whizzing. Chanyeol always seemed so cool and collected in front of Baekhyun, and yet these two men were talking about him like he was a teenager still.

“I’ll take care of the kids, you take care of the rest, alpha,” Junmyeon advised in his doctoral tone with the faint snip of scissors, “And don’t go breaking another paw because you’re showing off.”

An unfamiliar warm chuckle changed the atmosphere and Baekhyun knew he should ultimately move or hide, so he ducked into an empty patient room. It was dark and he peered from behind the wall as Junmyeon left the room with a first aid kit, followed by a tall, handsome man. Baekhyun gulped at the sight of him and the strange tattoos that adorned his back and shoulders.

“Thank you for this as always, Jun. You know to come tell me and Taemin if you ever need anything,” Minho spoke as he wriggled his right hand.

There was a clean bandage across it that Junmyeon had obviously tended to. He thought he’d gotten away with not being discovered, but Baekhyun felt his heart plummet when Minho casually glanced to meet his eyes with a strangely mischievous look etched across his face.

“I suppose it’s about time I met you.”

The male chuckled but it sounded more like a summon. Baekhyun ultimately panicked and broke out into a sweat. He wondered if he was going to get scolded as he slowly crept out of the shadows, but Junmyeon was smiling at him as if they’d known he was there all along; _they had_.

“This is our Koi fish, we all call him Koia,” Junmyeon introduced with a warm smile, “Koia, this is Choi Minho.”

Minho leaned across and shook Baekhyun’s hand regardless of the bandaged injury, but the latter supposed his light grasp wouldn’t cause any pain to the male’s large hands. After living so long with cold vampires any human touch felt so warm in comparison and Baekhyun could have held hands with Minho for the rest of the night.

“Welcome to Red River, kid,” Minho grinned as he released his hand and gave a final nod to Junmyeon.

He left the clinic as if he was never there, and Baekhyun blinked across at Junmyeon curiously. The doctor chuckled as he shrugged off his white coat and hooked it over the back of his chair at the main desk, answering Baekhyun’s question before the boy could even ask.

“Minho is the Head Alpha of Red River. He’s basically in charge here and we all tend to do as he says,” Junmyeon explained with a smile, “When Chanyeol found you it was Minho he called for help.”

Junmyeon left Baekhyun to reflect as he scrubbed and washed his hands after tending to his patient. The boy watched him go as he sunk into the second desk chair and released a long breath he’d been holding for a while. He toyed with the sleeves of Chanyeol’s shirt as the doctor returned to sit beside him and click at his computer.

“What…what did you mean when you said I talk in my sleep?”

A long, slow sigh slipped from Junmyeon’s lips and he immediately stopped typing to glance across at Baekhyun. He hesitated for a minute and toyed with his lip, as if debating something, but Junmyeon was a doctor, and doctors took an oath to tell the truth.

“Did you know that you do it?” Junmyeon asked, and Baekhyun shook his head, so he continued, “The longer amount of time you spend here, the more power the vampires had over you will dwindle and fade. Let me and Jongdae do the worrying, okay?”

Well, Baekhyun pondered as Junmyeon gave a last nod of authority and turned back to his computer, so much for the truth.

☁

He could feel them, the hauntingly familiar cold fingertips, trailing over his limbs. When the icy hand suddenly gripped his pulsing throat his eyes flung open and he was back there, pushed down against a black, velvet chaise lounge. His shirt was loose and draping across his open chest; his porcelain skin such a stark contrast against the colour of the chair. The bite scars across his chest looked fresh now, drops of perfect ruby red blood, adorning him like tiny poppy petals.

He tried to push the vampires away as they descended upon him, but his own limbs wouldn’t move, like his bones had been replaced with concrete. His throat felt too dry to scream.

“Taeyong,” Jinyoung purred as his forefinger followed a long, blue vein down Baekhyun’s limp arm, “Stop toying with our food.”

Taeyong huffed angrily as his dark, marbled eyes stared indignantly toward the other. The vampire’s hand didn’t loosen, and instead, gripped even tighter, pad of his thumb pressing against the only pulse in the room. The vampire smirked devilishly; his pale lips blood stained red with perfection. He leaned in close so the tip of his cold nose tickled his cheekbone.

“I can play with the pet all I want,” Taeyong whispered temptingly as he applied more pressure to his pulse, “Isn’t that right, Baekhyun?”

Baekhyun bolted upright in bed as a shriek slipped from his throat.

His eyes shot around his surroundings as his heartbeat slowly calmed down from its racing pace. His mattress clunked rather loudly in the silence of the room and made Baekhyun gasp and grip at his throat. An old, stuffed dog toy Jongin had insisted he sleep with was now sprawled on the floor with his blanket. Chanyeol’s old shirt was gathered around his shoulders uncomfortably.

He wasn’t there; he was home in Red River. It was just another nightmare, another gruesome flashback, and everything was as it should be. He rejoiced in that for a short moment. Normally he was awoken to the doctor’s voices; sometimes even little Jongin’s far off cry’s if Baekhyun’s nightmares grew loud enough to wake the child, or his body flailing in fear off the bed. Naturally after a nightmare, fear lingered in his body, but his mind was suddenly working a hundred miles a minute.

He heard the master bedroom door creak open slightly and tired footsteps padded across the landing until a half-asleep Junmyeon arrived at his door rubbing his eyes. He obviously didn’t expect Baekhyun to be sat up in bed staring at him, because when their eyes met the doctor jumped in fright and clutched at his chest.

“Is he okay?” Jongdae’s faint voice spoke from somewhere.

“More like am I okay,” Junmyeon huffed, “He’s the one who scared me.”

Baekhyun sent an apologetic smile as Junmyeon stepped closer to examine the boy. Jongdae reached the door and looked equally as sleepy, wrapped up in a cosy bed robe, as he peered inside. He sent Baekhyun a gentle smile.

“You’re awake,” Jongdae commented as Junmyeon brushed Baekhyun’s sweaty hair from his face.

“No, I’m Baekhyun,” Baekhyun blurted with a stupid grin.

He knew that now, could recall it off by heart like he’d never forgotten it, could see it written in his own handwriting over and over. He was Byun Baekhyun and fuck it felt good to say his own damn name again.

“Baekhyun?” Junmyeon blinked with puzzled features, “Who’s Baekhyun? Are you okay?”

“I’m Baekhyun!” Baekhyun repeated with a wide grin and serotonin flushing through his chest.

The boy giggled to himself in sheer joy as Junmyeon pressed his hand against his forehead to test Baekhyun’s temperature. If he weren’t so damn happy he’d probably hear the cogs in Junmyeon’s head whirring to work. A long yawn wracking through Jongdae’s body stopped him from catching on, until he too burst into a smile and sat on the edge of Baekhyun’s bed.

“Wait, you remembered your name?!”

The statement had Junmyeon stepping back and looking across Baekhyun’s face in suspense. Baekhyun nodded so hard his chin almost fell off his neck and bounced off the floor.

“I remembered it! My name is Baekhyun, Byun Baekhyun, the vampire said it in my dream…” Baekhyun paused for a moment as happy tears pooled in his eyes, “I know who I am, and I’m Baekhyun.”

“We’re so happy for you, Baekhyun,” Jongdae breathed happily, his own tears sparkling in the lamp light, as he squeezed the boy’s cheeks.

“Our Byun Baekhyun,” Junmyeon added with a proud squeeze to his shoulder.

It felt so pleasantly strange to hear his new family call him by his real name. Baekhyun felt like he was finally part of them – part of Red River – and he’d been with them since forever. He’d sure as hell miss being their Koi fish, but this felt real, genuine. His heart knew he hadn’t been a part of that in a long time.

The following morning was as average as any other but it felt like sheer Christmas to Baekhyun.

He’d buzzed around the kitchen like a happy bumble bee, towel drying dishes and waving Junmyeon out the door as he headed to the clinic. He and Jongdae kept grinning at each other, and it must have been infectious, because little Jongin’s face lit up happily too. The child had been excited to hear Baekhyun’s name and had babbled it consecutively until everyone else had joined in. When Jongdae got a call around mid-morning from his husband to come over to the surgery, he volunteered to bring his son along with him.

“Don’t you have some good news to tell a certain someone?” Jongdae had sung in his mischievous way as he tugged Jongin’s jumper over his head.

The doctor couldn’t help but grin happily and kiss his son’s forehead the minute the boy’s face popped through the article. Baekhyun groaned like an embarrassed teenager but knew it was admittedly true; he’d been such a ball of energy because all he wanted to do was run across town and tell Chanyeol. The minute Jongdae had left and closed the door behind he and his son, Baekhyun was up the stairs and fixing his hair in the bathroom mirror.

It was all fluffed up from blow drying it the night before – it never tended to settle and it was the bane of Baekhyun’s life – and pulling on a fresh tee didn’t help the cause much. During his time at Red River he’d never really been one for fashion, wanting to cover his scars as much as possible, but his happiness overweighed that need today. He was running down the road in a pair of denim shorts and another of Chanyeol’s large shirts in minutes.

Baekhyun couldn’t help but smile when he saw Chanyeol tiredly hop down from Minho’s porch. When the tall male glanced up and saw him, he waved at him in surprise and met him halfway.

“Hi little Koi,” Chanyeol greeted with a sweet smile.

“Hi,” Baekhyun suddenly felt bashful and knotted his hands together.

Of all the people who called him Koi, Baekhyun figured that he’d miss it most coming from Chanyeol’s lips, since he always made it sound so important. It was just…special when Chanyeol said it, Baekhyun gathered mentally, before realising he was stood staring up at the male like a goon.

“Is everything okay? You bounced over here like baby Jongin and now you’re so quiet,” Chanyeol chuckled.

The breeze ruffled up his silver hair and made the tall male look handsome, more handsome than Baekhyun had expected.

“More than,” Baekhyun breathed with a toothy smile, “I remembered my name.”

Chanyeol’s casual stance shifted into surprise and he grabbed onto Baekhyun’s arms as his dark eyes sparkled. His lips wobbled for a minute and Baekhyun laughed when Chanyeol shook him ever so excitedly.

“You remembered your name!” the guy exclaimed with a grin and another shake, “Tell me what it is! Was it something I guessed before? Do you owe me five bucks?!”

Every so often when they hung out, which had been quite a lot over the month Baekhyun had been at Red River, Chanyeol would throw in his guesses as to what Baekhyun’s name could be. His competitive side had obviously wanted to make it a running bet and he wouldn’t be surprised if Chanyeol and his other friends all had bets on it.

“Chanyeol!”

They both looked over Chanyeol’s shoulder to see Minho, the head alpha, stood on the porch. The male waved once to Chanyeol as a gesture for him to come back, then headed to his truck with a couple of other guys Baekhyun had seen around town before. The silver haired male huffed and removed his hands from Baekhyun’s arms. 

“Shit, sorry, Koi, but this is kinda important,”

“Baekhyun,” the boy replied with a smile that was sweet enough to stop Chanyeol in his tracks, “My name’s Baekhyun.”

Chanyeol did that real goofy smile that Baekhyun really liked and his ears turned pink against his light coloured hair.

“That’s,” Chanyeol paused as he glanced across Baekhyun’s face, “That’s a pretty enough name for me to lose a bet over.”

Minho beeped his car horn impatiently and even revved the engine. Two of the guys sat in the back called for Chanyeol again but the silver haired male was an impenetrable, goofy smile of a fortress. He brushed over Baekhyun’s cheek once, sweet and swiftly, like he wasn’t supposed to do it at all.

“I’ll catch up with you later, okay?” Baekhyun laughed as he pushed the tall male towards the truck.

“Yeah,” Chanyeol breathed with that stupid grin.

He waved once and backed away slowly, so slowly that one of the guys jumped out the truck and practically grabbed him by the back of his shirt to haul him inside. Baekhyun remained where he was on the corner, out of the way of the alpha’s truck, and couldn’t help but laugh. It was obvious Chanyeol was the youngest of the guys due to their boyish and big brotherly behaviour and seeing it in action was rather entertaining.

The vehicle smoothly reversed and headed down the street, or it would have, had Chanyeol then not jumped out of it like a mad man and made Minho screech to a stop. The alpha even leaned out of his window with an exasperated expression. Baekhyun frowned in confusion at the male’s antics and was going to ask what Chanyeol was doing but suddenly his face was in Chanyeol’s hands.

“Chanyeol,”

He was silenced with a kiss, a warm, soft kiss that slipped into forever. Baekhyun knew he should have closed his eyes – or even kissed back against Chanyeol’s lips – but he was so surprised. He also found the tiny mole on Chanyeol’s nose a little too distracting. When Chanyeol pulled back he stared at Baekhyun’s lips for a long moment, then Baekhyun’s eyes, as another sweet smile crossed his face.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you since forever, Baekhyun,” he admitted, only to release Baekhyun’s cheeks from his grasp, “I’ll see you later.”

And then Baekhyun had to stand there with the stupid, goofy smile, as Chanyeol ran back and hopped onto the truck. The vehicle disappeared down the road and Baekhyun dropped down to the cobbled path to touch his lips like a love struck teenager.

But then again, he supposed that he kinda was, and had been for a while.


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second half of Baekhyun's Red River story. Baekhyun continues to settle in Red River, he and Chanyeol fall in love, and the truth finally comes out. There's also smut yeehawwwww ♥

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second half of Baekhyun's Red River story. The third and final chapter is more of an extended epilogue of Chanbaek's future, so this chapter is technically the end! ♥
> 
> Same warnings as before apply! Thank you for reading and enjoy! ♥

☁

_ 2 _

☁

Chanyeol’s face was quite the picture when he walked through his backdoor and saw Baekhyun sat at the quaint, photograph-covered table beside his Halmeoni.

The rather spritely for her age woman had all but accosted Baekhyun in public when he’d been walking along the shop fronts one afternoon. He’d only stepped out on an errand for Jongdae when the lady had grappled his arm fiercely, introducing herself, and scolding her non-present grandson for not having introduced them sooner. Baekhyun hadn’t had much choice in not being dragged to the Park home for some tea.

Chanyeol’s Halmeoni enjoyed talking about her only grandson as much as any other grandmother would and Baekhyun loved listening to her. In the short moments she took a breath, he tried to picture his own grandparents but not even a bleared face echoed in his mind. He didn’t have much time to be sad or angry about that though, because if Baekhyun’s hand wasn’t holding a cup of tea, a plate of cake or a photograph, Halmeoni would find something else to fill them.

He’d had a house tour three times and each time the old woman had scoffed at the messy state of her grandson’s room; as if it was going to magically clean itself by the time she got round to it again. Chanyeol’s house felt very much like Jongdae and Jun’s home; _a home._ Every room was warm and adorned with wonderful collectibles, knitted blankets and colourful chairs. The kitchen was dressed in old, colourful tiles that belonged in a decade long gone but Baekhyun loved it, he loved every inch.

Even the laundry that was hung from the stair banister smelt warm and welcoming.

So far, in a wicker basket the Halmeoni had insisted he have, was a couple of knitted jumpers the elderly woman chastised Chanyeol didn’t ever wear, a paper-wrapped loaf of still warm bread and a jar with some fresh grown plums she insisted Junmyeon loved. Baekhyun had a feeling he’d end up leaving the house with more than that and was glad Chanyeol was home to prevent anything more sneaking into the basket.

He hadn’t seen Chanyeol since the male had kissed him in the street and Baekhyun felt his cheeks go pink in thought.

“Halmeoni,” Chanyeol immediately whined as a greeting at the sight of his baby photos.

The woman took no notice as she removed the photo from Baekhyun’s hands and replaced it with a speckled photo of a tiny Chanyeol sat on a porch in one of those puffy toddler snowsuits. Baekhyun grinned as he looked at the little human only for the male in question to whine once more, and at the sound, he smiled apologetically to the taller.

Halmeoni had said Chanyeol had been out all day with Minho working on a logging job, and it showed in the way his dirty t-shirt was stuck to his chest. His hair was slicked in a backward facing cap and his work trousers were covered in dirt and stains from the long days work. Baekhyun couldn’t help but smile stupidly at the boy nevertheless, for no in particular reason.

“Greet our guest and then go and wash up,” the woman demanded without looking at her grandson, merely waving him off encouragingly.

Naturally Chanyeol surrendered, and giving Baekhyun an apologetic look, disappeared up the stairs with heavy feet. The elderly woman chuckled wryly to herself and Baekhyun could see the male’s features in his grandmother’s. They shared the same smiles and it made Baekhyun’s heart feel really warm, especially when the next photo was placed in his palms and it was ice cream-covered cheek Chanyeol.

“His heart has a lot of love to give, but he hasn’t had anyone to share that love with,” the elderly woman whispered for Baekhyun and Baekhyun alone, and the male couldn’t help but glance into her serious eyes and for a long moment all was quiet apart from Chanyeol stomping on the floorboards above, but then the oven timer tinged and the old woman grinned once more, “Let me prepare some more tea, you look hungry, let me get you something to eat.”

Baekhyun wasn’t hungry but he wasn’t going to argue either because he knew it’d be useless. Instead, he watched as the woman shuffled off into her kitchen and left him with the table full of photos. There were colourful photographs of a young couple holding a baby happily but Baekhyun had a feeling he shouldn’t ask about them, not in this household, anyway. He reached for a more recent photo instead and swooned a little at an eighteen year-old-Chanyeol, lean and tall, sat in the armchair with a high school syllabus book in his nose.

“Did she kidnap you, Koi?” Chanyeol’s voice floated through the house and Baekhyun peered over his shoulder to watch him enter the room, “If you’re here against your will, just blink twice.”

His tone was serious but there was a smirk on his face that popped a dimple from his cheek. It had the right effect because the Halmeoni made a distasteful tut of a noise from the kitchen and rattled a pan purposely loud in defiance. Baekhyun was grinning to himself once more until Chanyeol leaned over the back of his chair and filled his nostrils with hot skin and fresh soap.

“Your Halmeoni is a really great cook,” Baekhyun tried to speak confidently even though he fumbled to put the photograph back onto the table.

Chanyeol’s large hands were holding onto the back of Baekhyun’s chair and there was an air of hesitance on both parts – should he/I put his/my hands on my/his shoulders – that was broken by the smell of sweet tea. As any grandson would, Chanyeol abandoned his mental crisis to aid his grandmother and carry the tea pot to the centre of the table, where Baekhyun carefully cleared the photographs in case of spillage.

Then Chanyeol gave a scoff and glanced to his Halmeoni with exasperation.

“Halmeoni,” he grumbled, taking a plate of fresh fruit and loaf cake from her to add to the table, “Why have you placed protection on him?”

Baekhyun was confused at first, glancing between the two family members, not touching the food until the elderly woman had sat at the table. The grandmother shuffled to her seat and sent Chanyeol an obvious look, and then the grandson nodded toward Baekhyun’s neck. The male automatically touched over the pretty, homemade necklace that the old lady had placed upon him as he entered the household.

A long, soft tan coloured strap with a tiny woven web and a fire agate crystal of fire orange colour hanging from it. The woman was wearing one like it herself, and Baekhyun had seen a few other elders in town wearing ones similar. He’d thought nothing of it since she’d plied him with other things to keep.

“Halmeoni,” Chanyeol grumbled again as he sat opposite Baekhyun but it was of no use.

“Where’s that photo of you swimming in the lake,” the old lady spoke aloud as Chanyeol poured the tea for the three of them, “The cute one with your little butt,”

“Halmeoni!”

The lady understood why Baekhyun began to get a little antsy around four o’clock with the sky darkening an orange colour and Jongdae probably worrying for Baekhyun’s whereabouts. After a long afternoon of feeding a new guest and embarrassing Chanyeol, the grandmother seemed happy enough to wave Baekhyun off from the front porch. Chanyeol had dutifully carried the basket of things to his truck but they both mentally sighed when it was placed, like a barrier, between them.

“When I said I wanted you to meet my Halmeoni, I didn’t imagine it like that,” Chanyeol chuckled as he drove down the dirt road to join the main, “But I’m not surprised either.”

“I really, really like her, and your home is really nice too,” Baekhyun heard himself gush, picking at his sleeves, “I loved spending my day spending time with her.”

He distracted himself to look at the view out the window, colourful wooden houses in front of the trees and orange sky backdrop and completely missed the way Chanyeol bit on his bottom lip to stop himself from grinning like a kid. Then Baekhyun glanced down to the pretty necklace and stroked over the crystal carefully.

“Hey,” Baekhyun started curiously, “What does the necklace mean? You said something about protection and your Halmeoni kinda ignored you?”

“It’s kind of an old custom now. The elders make them by hand and place them on newcomers, guests…” Chanyeol paused loudly, his fingers tapping softly on the wheel, “Fiancées, newlyweds. That kinda thing.”

Baekhyun didn’t think the obvious, the obvious making Chanyeol’s cheeks flush in the sunset, and instead pondered if Jongdae and Junmyeon had been given similar necklaces from their respective families when they married. The rest of the short drive was chilled and Baekhyun didn’t think of the kiss until Chanyeol pulled up outside of Jongdae’s and cranked the old, rickety handbrake.

Then he thought about how soft Chanyeol’s lips had been quite a lot in the short space of 30 seconds.

Jongin’s little smiling face popped up in the front window and waved excitedly, causing Baekhyun to laugh softly and reach for the basket of things, to then hesitate.

“Your Halmeoni gave me some more of your clothes, do you want them back?” Baekhyun asked as he began to root through the basket to return the male’s items.

Chanyeol’s warm hand stopped him and instead pushed the basket closer to Baekhyun’s side with a smile.

“No, no, it’s fine! I want you to have them…they look cooler on you anyway.” 

A grateful smile hovered over Baekhyun’s face and he gave Chanyeol a little nod of thanks as he hopped out the car. Jongin was still waving madly from the window and there was only so much time before the child simply give up and open the front door instead. When he closed the car door he glanced deviously to Chanyeol. The male frowned ever so and went to cut the engine when Baekhyun held up the photograph of teen Chan reading with a successful grin.

Chanyeol’s face melted in despair but he grinned all the same as he rubbed his head, smirking in Baekhyun’s direction.

“I’ll get you back for that, Koi fish,” Chanyeol’s voice chuckled from inside the truck as Baekhyun backed away with a laugh, “Just you wait, Byun Baekhyun.”

Then, the truck reversed and drove off the way it had came and Baekhyun let himself into the house. He gave Jongin a squeeze, making sure to tickle his very ticklish sides and listened to him talk about his day. Jongdae whined at him very loudly – and dramatically – for vanishing off the face of Red River but didn’t seem too upset after Baekhyun handed him the baked goods Chanyeol’s grandmother gifted them.

Jongdae hadn’t noticed the necklace and Baekhyun had forgotten to ask about it as he went upstairs to fold the new clothes into his drawers. Jongin followed him happily and bounced on his bed, quizzing him on his day even if they still ended up talking about a new toy Jongin had seen in a catalogue. When Junmyeon announced his presence downstairs after a long clinic shift Jongin went running, and Baekhyun took his chance to pin the photo of Chanyeol to the wall beside his pillow.

He stared at the photo for a long moment and felt his heart warm happily, until he too followed Jongin downstairs to greet Junmyeon.

☁

Jongdae and Junmyeon had a rare weekend off work. They had made plans to travel the short journey over to Amber Ridge to stay with friends with Jongin in tow, and even though they’d made Baekhyun welcome to come along, the latter assured them he’d be fine staying behind. The clinic had been busy lately and Baekhyun figured that he could tackle the housework the couple hadn’t been able to manage to be of help to them.

For a while, night after night Baekhyun would be swamped with vile nightmares and flashbacks, especially after just having left the clinic and moving into the doctor’s home. The last week had been peaceful. Baekhyun was sleeping through the night like a dream, and he wondered if the necklace Halmeoni gave him played part in it, from its place hung around the bed post.

Falling asleep staring at the cute photograph of Chanyeol beside his pillow worked some kind of teenage dream magic over him too.

The family drove off early the Friday afternoon and Baekhyun spent the day as he’d intended, making use of the sunny day to hang out laundry to dry and dusting every shelf and surface within its life. He even found time to neaten all the books on the family bookcase and vacuum the family bedrooms. He hoped when the family returned they’d enjoy seeing their home so clean and shiny.

He woke up on the Saturday morning with excitement rushing through his veins. He’d hopped out of bed before his alarm even went off and was pulling out his clothes drawers to pick out an outfit for the day. He washed his face and brushed his teeth and even dared to look over himself in the bathroom mirror. His black hair was in a world of his own as always, and his skin still looked pale and bite-ridden.

But today, he was spending the whole day with Chanyeol, and the bites wouldn’t matter. So he didn’t nervously adjust his shirt sleeves and instead forced a small smile and patted some sunscreen onto his cheeks. Chanyeol had spent so much of this week working that they didn’t get to see each other, even briefly, but the silver haired male was determined to spend a whole day with Baekhyun on the Saturday.

And when his car horn honked from outside, Baekhyun scooped up the large tote bag Jongdae used for shopping or picnics and rushed out to jump in the truck. Chanyeol grinned at him and revved off toward the docks.

“This is the only way to get there,” Chanyeol spoke as he stood in a small but sturdy looking boat, “Are you okay with boating?”

The boat was moored up to one of the wooden docks along the lake, amidst a collection of other boats, and Chanyeol kept a strong hand on the rope mooring it as he held the other out for Baekhyun to take. He couldn’t help but chew onto his bottom lip nervously at the thought of sailing off into the huge lake without even a life jacket, but recently figured out he had a new, very domineering personality trait.

He’d follow Chanyeol just about anywhere.

So he took his hand and stepped onto the boat with a slight yelp. He quickly plonked himself down in front of Chanyeol, at the front of the boat, as the other removed the rope and revved the small but feisty engine.

“You ready?” Chanyeol grinned, hair pushed back from his face under a beat up baseball cap.

“I think so,” Baekhyun blurted with an uneasy laugh.

He clutched at the sides of the boat with all his might. The other gave him an encouraging smile, and with their bags between them at their feet, Chanyeol steered and set off along the lake’s surface. Baekhyun didn’t enjoy the feeling at first and squeezed his eyes shut in fright. The sun came out from behind the last cloud in the sky and remained there, golden and warm, turning the water a pretty shade of blue Baekhyun had never seen before.

He looked over his shoulder and let out a laugh at just how small Red River looked as they sailed away from it, then his eyes met Chanyeol’s, and his soul never felt so free. Baekhyun would never know just how much of a dazzling smile he sent to Chanyeol.

At the front of the little boat, Baekhyun opened his arms to the breeze and laughed into the wind, sun on his face, shirt whipping around his shoulders like a proud flag. He’d spent so long thinking that the coven had owned him, turned him into theirs, stripped him of everything, but he was wrong. As the warm breeze blew through him Baekhyun realised that he wasn’t something for them to own; only he could own himself.

When he looked over his shoulder and met Chanyeol’s eyes, he wondered if he’d ever felt this happy before, then figured he didn’t need to know anymore.

The boat ride was over all too quickly for Baekhyun’s liking as Chanyeol steered the boat toward a long, sandy strip of beach with a couple of odd, wooden moors coming from it. There was another family at the other end of the beach enjoying the summer’s day but it didn’t mean much to the boys as Baekhyun patiently waited for Chanyeol to cut the engine and fix the boat to the moor.

“That was so much fun!” Baekhyun exclaimed when Chanyeol hauled him from the boat onto the deck with a grin.

“I was worried about how pale you looked back there, little Koi, but turns out you’re a real adrenaline junkie.”

Chanyeol laughed as he passed Baekhyun his tote bag and then reached for his own. The two made their way onto the sand and after Baekhyun picked the perfect spot on the practically empty beach, Chanyeol produced a colourful picnic blanket to place on the sand. Baekhyun plopped down onto it and ditched his shoes immediately.

The spot was a real sun trap with beautiful views of the lake and the far off trees in the distance. The lake water sparkled under the sun’s rays and Baekhyun could have watched it forever. The bay was like a tiny, secret place only certain people knew about, and now he was in on that secret. Chanyeol pulled a bottle of sun block from his bag before he reached for the loose and light summer shirt he’d had for a few years.

“Hey, I figured you could wear this, its light but it’ll cover,”

Chanyeol’s words stopped dead and his bottom lip flopped open like a fish. The sun felt too nice and warm not to enjoy, and feeling comfortable beside Chanyeol, Baekhyun had peeled his heavy shirt and undershirt from himself. His lean, pale torso was currently exposed and being kissed by the sun as Baekhyun squeezed a good amount of sun cream onto his palm.

“Hmm? What was that?” Baekhyun asked with a concentrated tongue poking from his lips, working the cream onto his torso.

“Make sure to cover your neck and your back,” Chanyeol blurted as he violently shoved the shirt to the bottom of his backpack with vengeance, “Lemme help you!”

Naturally Chanyeol was next to strip down and Baekhyun felt his throat dry out at the sight of the male in all his tone and tanned glory in a measly pair of black swim shorts and cap. He normally dressed in loose vests that didn’t leave much to the imagination but seeing all his skin glowing in the sunshine was…something else. Baekhyun chugged half his water in response.

He felt like a scrawny kid next to him but proceeded to ignore it, concentrating on nothing but the happy day ahead of them.

“If we get sand in this Halmeoni will kill me,” Chanyeol spoke up as he pulled a rather fancy looking camera from his backpack, “I thought we could take some pictures to remember this day by.”

So they did.

After being taught what buttons to press and when, Baekhyun took the camera for a spin, flicking photos of the lake view, their feet in the sand and Chanyeol back flipping off the deck into the cool water. They had two reels of film so they didn’t have to skimp on photographs either. Then he abandoned the camera to wade in slowly, his body shivering as he teetered into the water that was WAY colder than it looked, only for Chanyeol to haul him under the surface.

“Do you know what I realised?” Chanyeol’s voice was like soft caramel when he swam up close to Baekhyun.

There was a drop of water on the tip of his nose that was desperately trying to distract him from the statement with all its might. They were inches away from each other and should a strong breeze push the water with a bit of oomph Baekhyun might just float into Chanyeol’s strong arms.

“What?” Baekhyun replied softly.

“I left the towels in the back of the truck.”

Baekhyun couldn’t wait any longer for a wave and with a fuck it mentality he looped his arms carefully around Chanyeol’s neck. He laughed lightly when the other’s large hands came to Baekhyun’s elbows to hold him there, softly, and glance over his face.

“Then we’ll sunbathe ourselves dry.”

“Okay,” Chanyeol concluded with a grin.

They were comfortable then to float together in the blue water, taking time to carefully look over each other’s faces under a new mutual and mental agreement. Baekhyun even felt brave enough to comb his fingertips once through the back of Chanyeol’s hair, and he smiled because the action made Chanyeol smile. It was too cute of a smile not to kiss, so since he was on such a brave streak, Baekhyun leaned forward and captured Chanyeol’s lips in his.

This time round they really milked it. With Minho not beeping at them impatiently from a truck they could really take their time and kiss each other. It was slow, because slow felt right, especially when Chanyeol fixed Baekhyun flush against him and trapped him there, his hands flush against his bare back. Their noses kept brushing and bumping in a raw, clumsy way that only made them more eager to keep kissing.

They could have wasted the day just floating and licking the salt from each other’s lips but the water started to feel cool and the shiver Baekhyun’s body gave was so obviously because he was cold.

The camera clicked when they were back on land and Baekhyun squeezed an eye open to see Chanyeol was pointing the lens at him. Baekhyun gave a stretch and rejoiced in how warm his skin felt after his post-swim nap.

“I took a picture of you while you were asleep,” Chanyeol smirked as he played with the settings.

“Great, thanks weirdo,” Baekhyun scoffed.

He’d taken one of Chanyeol’s sleeping face all squished up against his rolled up shirt about half an hour previously.

Their day at the secret bay was perfect. They’d chased each other up and down the sand until Chanyeol won by sweeping Baekhyun up off his feet and kissing the sunscreen covered skin of his shoulders. Baekhyun demanded a pause on kissing activities to eat, and Chanyeol mutually agreed, so they sat feasting on the stolen buns the latter swiped from his Grandmother’s cake tin. They fed each other fruit and then suddenly they were back in the lake swimming, splashing, then sunbathing, and repeating the cycle.

When the sun slowly began to set and the clock pushed on towards four o’clock, Chanyeol eagerly began to pack up but Baekhyun tugged him back, to lie together in the sunset once more. Chanyeol tried to speak and warn Baekhyun it would be dark soon but the latter was so content and safe beside the other. He simply kissed Chanyeol’s warm shoulder and tucked himself into his side to watch the sun disappear.

“I’m safe if I’m with you,” Baekhyun whispered, his cracked lips tickling Chanyeol’s skin.

“Yes you are, little koi fish,” Chanyeol concluded with a long kiss to Baekhyun’s wild hair, “Always.”

☁

There was far off thunder but Baekhyun couldn’t tell where it was coming from. His skin felt so hot when the vampire pinned down his bare chest with a splayed, cold hand it sizzled. He felt as if he was burning all over. Baekhyun thrashed but his wrists were tied with long strips of velvet and every time he tried to open his dizzy eyes he just saw red liquid spilling down his arms.

He kept crying out for help but they laughed and cajoled at the mere silence his throat released.

A pair of knife-like teeth dragged teasingly across his collar and Baekhyun could take no more as tears spilled over his eyes. The salty tears irritated his sore cheeks and added to the sad cacophony of pain. He tried to thrash again but one of them gripped his hair, clawing at his scalp, pushing their cold lips against Baekhyun’s ear to chuckle cruelly.

“Once we drained you, we’re going to drain all of your new, little friends too.”

Baekhyun shrieked in pain when he shook his head in protest and only got his hair wrenched rougher. He wouldn’t let them, as powerless and in pain as he felt, Baekhyun wouldn’t let the coven come near his new family, he’d die first.

“We’ll go through them one by one, savour every last drop and scream, and we’ll save your precious Chanyeol for last.”

Not Chanyeol.

They all started to chorus and tease him, he could hear each of them, their different tones and accents teasing and jeering at him. Over and over until it was like he was stood under a huge bell ringing out and vibrating off every surface.

“Chanyeol.” _“Chanyeol.”_ “Chanyeol.” **“Chanyeol.”** ~~“Chanyeol.”~~

**“We’ll kill Chanyeol.”**

Finally, finally, his throat reacted with volume.

He landed on his bedroom floor in a pile. The heavy bed blankets fell onto him and felt like a body grabbing at him from behind so an almighty scream ripped through his throat. Baekhyun curled into a ball, eyes squeezed shut and his face pressed against the rug, until he screamed himself out. His body shook with fear when all he heard was silence.

His heartbeat started to slowly calm down when he recognised the gentle smell of his bed sheets as Jongdae’s favourite softener.

Baekhyun’s eyes peered open to darkness. His body eased itself up until he cautiously removed the blanket from his view and he realised he was home. A sob escaped his throat, but he didn’t know if it was relief or pure terror. Had he managed to calm, he would have talked himself down from the nightmare, reminded himself that he was safe and at home, that he’d had a perfect day on the bay with Chanyeol, that Jongdae and Junmyeon would pull up tomorrow with Jongin in tow.

But the sky was angry and a crack of lightening caused thunder to crash across the clouds. Baekhyun gave another terrified scream and scrambled to his feet, tumbling over the blanket on the floor. He couldn’t let them get to Chanyeol, they couldn’t have him, he’d protect him, he’d kill them with his own bare hands first before they could ever hurt Chanyeol.

Baekhyun was hysterical when he bolted from the doctor’s home in nothing but a t-shirt and some shorts. It was the perfect summer storm; the sky an angry shade of orange with heavy droplets of warm rain pelting his body. His bare feet slipped off the deck and he let out another shriek when thunder rolled angrily as he hit the ground but it made Baekhyun push himself up quicker. His rain drenched body felt as cold as it did hot and his shirt stuck to his skin as he sprinted through the dark night across the town.

The heavy rain hit his face with such power that even if it wasn’t the middle of the night, Baekhyun still wouldn’t have been able to see. The way his chest raged meant he was still sobbing and his body shook with fear and adrenaline as he bolted across the paved crossroad, barefoot, but something called for him.

Then something warm caught him and clutched him to their chest.

“I won’t let them kill you, I can’t, they can’t, not you!” Baekhyun’s words were scrambled, frantic and all but lost against the raging weather and Chanyeol’s warm chest.

Something warm was wrapped around Baekhyun’s torso and suddenly he was lifted off his feet and cradled against Chanyeol’s chest. It was still thundering and raining and the wind was still howling against them but Baekhyun felt like it couldn’t affect him now he was in Chanyeol’s arms. He just squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his face into Chanyeol’s neck until suddenly it was all over.

“I knew I shouldn’t have left you tonight,” Chanyeol’s voice was soft as he held Baekhyun like a newborn, “I’ll never leave you alone again.” 

Baekhyun finally peeled his eyes open and his vision was bleary for a moment. They were back in the doctor’s home – standing in the front hall, in fact – with the bright lights on. The rain drenched Chanyeol’s hair and droplets were rolling down his face in a different way than how he looked in the lake. A huge, red padded coat was what he’d wrapped around Baekhyun before carrying him here through the storm.

The thunder outside rumbled on fiercely and Baekhyun’s body crumbled with another sob. He pressed his face so hard against Chanyeol’s neck that the male’s fresh stubble scratched at his wet skin. Chanyeol shushed him and pressed his warm, wet lips to Baekhyun’s forehead.

“Remember what you said at the beach? You’re always going to be safe with me,” Chanyeol reminded with a voice like velvet, “I’m never going to let you go.”

And he didn’t.

The warmth of Chanyeol’s body and the strength and need in which his hands held him magically drowned out the storm outside. He introduced light to Baekhyun’s fear; he switched every light on in the house and safely lit candles across the bathroom floor after running a deep, warm bubbly bath. The male had stepped back and gestured for Baekhyun to undress and get in the bath but Baekhyun’s hands just couldn’t unclasp their grasp on the male.

He knew Chanyeol would see his body in its whole, pale, vulnerable entirety but that was nothing to the aftermath of the nightmare and storm lingering in his bones.

“You’re alright for me to undress you?” Chanyeol asked softly.

Baekhyun nodded.

So Chanyeol carefully undressed him with all the love and care Baekhyun had missed out on for so long. The taller male held so much strength in his body and yet his fingertips were dandelion soft when peeling the wet clothes from Baekhyun’s self, tossing them into the sink to sort out later. Chanyeol was even tender in the way he lifted Baekhyun into the bath; he gave no thought to taking the plastic jug Jongdae and Junmyeon used to wash Jongin’s hair to give Baekhyun the same treatment without a drop of shampoo or water getting into his eyes.

When Chanyeol leaned back to sit beside the bath, his chin perched on the tub’s edge, Baekhyun leaned forward amongst the bubbles and gave him a pleading look.

“You want me to come in with you?” _a nod_ , “You’re sure?” _another._

Baekhyun felt better then, when Chanyeol’s naked, warm body was behind him, his back on the male’s chest, only hot water between them. Chanyeol’s large hand raked softly through Baekhyun’s hair when the smaller dropped his head back against his chest. Chanyeol chuckled at the sight of their legs tangled and tucked up together in the tub and Baekhyun finally felt himself come round conscious, as if up to now he’d been a ghost.

Chanyeol could sense that too.

“They said they were going to kill you, all of you, but they were going to save you for last,” Baekhyun’s breath hitched so Chanyeol grazed his lips over Baekhyun’s temple, “I can’t let them hurt you, I won’t.”

“It’s a nightmare, Baek, it’s just a horrid dream. I’m not going anywhere, it’s just a cruel dream, they’ll never come close to you again.” Chanyeol whispered as his long arms wrapped around Baekhyun’s body tightly.

Whenever Junmyeon or Jongdae doted on Baekhyun at night after his nightmares, he always felt so greatly comforted, but with Chanyeol saying it and holding onto him, it hit different. Baekhyun glanced over to the long mirror in the corner of the room and saw the slightest glimpse of them both, Chanyeol’s nose pressed against Baekhyun’s wet hair and his eyes closed comfortably, like he was _his_ safe place.

“They…they always used to pin me down. They were really strong and I hated it, it made me feel so weak and lifeless beneath them,” Baekhyun confessed as he watched their faces in the mirror’s reflection and his voice dropped to a whisper, “I don’t want it to be like that with us when we…you know. I don’t want to be pinned down.”

Chanyeol’s eyes opened and he too glanced to meet Baekhyun’s eye in the mirror as if he knew the other had been looking through it the whole time. He had. The silver haired male squeezed Baekhyun comfortingly and smiled a little, nose still pressed into Baekhyun’s hair, fingertips soothing Baekhyun’s tight shoulders.

“I’ll follow your word, baby, and I’ll take care of you.”

He truly did.

They drained the bath and blew out the candles so that Chanyeol could carry a towel-wrapped Baekhyun into the small bedroom. The bedding was still askew from Baekhyun’s nightmare so Chanyeol made the bed in the lamplight, and when they were both dry, climbed inside it. It was another slight squeeze and seeing Chanyeol’s lanky limbs in the single gave Baekhyun’s laugh sound life once more. Then they kissed, and touched, and listened to each other.

They lay on their sides, facing each other, chests flush. Chanyeol’s large hand was carefully pinning Baekhyun’s leg up and hitching it over his waist, fingertips digging into the deliciously plump skin on Baekhyun’s behind. Their noses kept grazing and Baekhyun’s breath kept hitching because his dick was so crazily sensitive every time it brushed against Chanyeol’s tummy.

Baekhyun was so crazily sensitive whenever Chanyeol did anything.

“Do you want to switch the light off?” Baekhyun whispered in the quiet moment they shared with Chanyeol’s length lined up against his entrance.

“No way,” Chanyeol broke into a stupid grin that made Baekhyun’s dick twitch again, “This is my first time and I want to see every inch of you.”

Then Baekhyun grinned stupidly and held onto Chanyeol’s cheeks to kiss his open mouth. He tugged on Chanyeol’s messy hair when the male slowly pushed inside Baekhyun and gasped into his mouth, Baekhyun’s teeth catching Chanyeol’s bottom lip at the feeling of slowly being filled by what was turning out to be a very long dick. Chanyeol was careful and held his position when he bottomed out, gripping to Baekhyun’s hip, his chest trembling. He was waiting for Baekhyun to adjust, to tell him it was okay, that he felt safe, but all Baekhyun could see was the galaxy in Chanyeol’s eyes.

Chanyeol kept whispering sentimental things but Baekhyun just wanted to devour this, this utter bliss, and never lose it. The feeling was enough for Baekhyun to know that even with his lost, grey past, he’d never felt something like _this_.

They held onto each other for dear life as the headboard relentlessly hit against the wall. Baekhyun lost himself to the feeling of Chanyeol thrusting inside of him and gripped everything he could, the pillow, the bed frame, the male’s hair. Biology took over Chanyeol and he didn’t need long to figure out what to do and Baekhyun was almost convinced maybe Chanyeol had done this before, especially the way he kept sweeping up his leg to push himself deeper into Baekhyun and earn yelps from the other in return.

It didn’t feel like Chanyeol was trying to overpower him, or exert his strength over him, either. In fact, the way he kissed at Baekhyun’s neck, and jaw, and lips and cheeks and sucked on his collar with such urgent need felt like a religious blessing. And Baekhyun liked it because he was becoming so uncontrollably vocal about it. Chanyeol didn’t need to slam himself inside the other for Baekhyun to create volume and even when he simply hitched up Baekhyun’s leg to reposition himself, the other sang out a moan so pretty Chanyeol almost lost it there and then.

Baekhyun felt himself get close and gripped to Chanyeol’s hair to pull himself flush to the male, trying his best to move his hips along to the same motion – and gain friction on his own bare dick against Chanyeol’s hot skin – their foreheads pressed together. Chanyeol’s broad shoulders blocked out most of the dim light from Baekhyun’s face but he still saw the way Baekhyun’s orgasm wracked through his body and left his bitten lips trembling, puffy and red. With one last, long and sexily loud sound Baekhyun lapped at Chanyeol’s lips like a kitten which drove the taller burying himself so deep as he came into the condom.

They clung to each other like they’d been separated for centuries.

It was Baekhyun’s turn then to comfort the other, and he softly stroked across Chanyeol’s cheeks and kissed at the knot of his eyebrows as the male returned from his high with a fucked out smile. Baekhyun ran his thumb across Chanyeol’s bottom lip and wanted to stay within millimetres of it for the rest of his life. He didn’t even care for the stickiness that he’d released between their tummies.

“You’re amazing,” Chanyeol breathed out like a lovesick teenager, “And fuck, you’re so fucking beautiful. Do you realise that? Like, damn, look at you! And you taste so good!”

Baekhyun’s laugh reached octaves as Chanyeol hungrily and happily nipped across his face and neck again, growling playfully and blowing a ticklish raspberry beneath Baekhyun’s ear.

“I think you’re beautiful too,” Baekhyun breathed out, still reeling with Chanyeol deep inside him, “Your lips are my favourite thing and they look so pretty like this.”

The taller carefully removed himself with a bashful smile and disappeared for a moment to dispose of the condom and bring back something to clean Baekhyun. He was pretty sure he could hear Chanyeol singing to himself in the bathroom and clapped his hand over his mouth to stifle sweet laughter. When Chanyeol returned to the bedroom with his body looking like some sort of Greek Adonis in the lamp light, he glanced to the wall beside Baekhyun’s bed.

Then his face dropped in embarrassment.

“I was so fixed on you I didn’t even notice that awful photo,” Chanyeol groaned yet smiled all the same.

Baekhyun giggled ticklishly when Chanyeol mopped his tummy with a flannel only to throw the material into a small laundry basket with a wry grin. The male glanced down at himself, his bare body was glowing in the lamp light but the vampire bites were deep and still littered his skin. He wondered if Chanyeol was glad the blanket had covered them from view as the other snuggled back into bed beside him.

“It’s my favourite,” Baekhyun confessed as Chanyeol left a long, lazy kiss on his shoulder, “You’re my favourite.”

He took hold of Chanyeol’s cheeks and guided his face to his lips so that he could kiss him all over again. The big baby flopped across Baekhyun’s chest and nuzzled his face against the soft spot of Baekhyun’s neck and the shorter felt himself glow even more. With blushing cheeks, he questioned Chanyeol further.

“Was your first time everything you hoped it would be?”

“It was fucking perfect, sweetheart,” Chanyeol blurted with a wonderfully dreamy and content sigh, “Do…was that your first time? Or do you think you’ve…done it before? Not that it matters! But-”

Baekhyun covered Chanyeol’s bare shoulders with the blanket so he couldn’t get cold and kept his arms wrapped across his bare skin, his lips lost to silver hair and nose ticklish from it. Chanyeol peered up and propped his chin so he could glance over Baekhyun’s quiet face. A flicker of doubt swam behind his dark eyes but all Baekhyun had to do was smile to eliminate it.

“I would have remembered something like that…we were pretty magical, huh?” he whispered with sparkling eyes.

The other immediately burst into a grin and he spared no time in leaning down to kiss Baekhyun’s lips, as if he hadn’t spent all day and night doing it, and Baekhyun went with it effortlessly.

Junmyeon and Jongdae returned home early the next morning and popped their heads round the door to check on a quiet Baekhyun, and upon the sight of the two snuggled together in the single bed, grinned ruefully to each other and left the slumbering boys in peace.

☁

It was one of those small towns that young people flocked to for the architectural meeting of new and old. It was a collection of buildings in the dip of a protected mountain range that was now adorned with green ferns and towering green hosta plants. Baekhyun had felt like he had stepped off the rickety coach into a tiny piece of Texas or Arizona, the mountain town a complete difference from the towering tree campsite he’d been staying at previously.

It wasn’t tourist season because every tiny, colourful door pension he passed had vacancies in the window.

He’d trailed along the cobbled streets and watched the locals bargain for cheaper drinks on outside stalls and bars until the sun dipped beneath the mountains. His suitcase eventually grew heavy – along with his feet – so Baekhyun sought out a nice hotel that hopefully came with a bathtub. He’d found one just past the town’s main square and lively courtyard and thankfully hadn’t had to dip into his emergency money to spot himself a room for the weekend. He’d had a long bath and scrubbed the remnants of camping from his glowing skin.

The hotel had a restaurant bar on the ground floor, and since his money had been used on the room, he settled on a simple drink and dived into the novel he’d found on the bus trip here. Baekhyun relished in the odd tinkle of drinks being made and soft chatter a few tables over as he read on a table of his own, tucked far into a corner.

A male then hovered by the table, and at fist Baekhyun had thought it was a waiter asking if he wanted a top up but then he saw just how expensive his clothing looked and figured the young, beautiful man simply wanted to take a chair from his table. His aura was luxurious and expensive, from the white, silk shirt with golden buttons to the way his pitch black hair hung so naturally sexy around his utterly perfect face. There was a black jacket to match his pants over his arm and Baekhyun felt silly in his last clean pair of jeans and rather low-cut knit sweat with nothing underneath.

His shirts were all in the communal washer-dryer he’d found upstairs.

“I noticed that we were both here alone, I know you’re reading, but would you care for company?”

“You…want to sit with me?” Baekhyun blinked, his book long forgotten.

“If I may,” the stranger purred with a confident smile.

“You may,” Baekhyun blurted in return.

His cheeks had flushed pink under the low lights of the bar and when the stranger sat opposite, he noticed just how dark his eyes were, like dark marble and suddenly Baekhyun couldn’t shake himself from staring. A handsome stranger wanting to sit with him was one thing but a handsome stranger with eyes like galaxies was…something else. He folded the book away as the stranger clicked his fingers and the waiter came running with a bottle of deeply red wine and two glasses.

The stranger poured the red liquid into the two glasses with years of perfected expertise and Baekhyun couldn’t take his eyes from the fluid, graceful way the male moved.

“Have you ever had cabernet sauvignon? This has been aged for 18 years so the taste will be just right,” he looked Baekhyun deep into the eyes, “Maybe even a little bold. Do you consider yourself a bold person?”

“I…maybe,” Baekhyun answered like a child in a classroom rather than the adult he was taking hold of a wine glass.

He tried to be bold then after taking a long sip of the deep flavoured red wine. The alcohol immediately stained his bottom lip a deep shade of red and the stranger’s eyes danced over it like his life depended on it.

“I’m Baekhyun Byun, I’ve been travelling around here for a while. It’s my first night in town,” Baekhyun heard himself announce only to blush at his answer.

The stranger gave a silken chuckle as his forefinger traced the rim of the wine glass in a mesmerising motion. He nodded once.

“So you happen to be a new, little lost soul in town, hmm?” he pondered with a wry smile, “It sounds like you are quite bold after all, Byun Baekhyun, my name is Jinyoung.”

The name landed heavily into the back of Baekhyun’s mind as if it was replacing something else. Baekhyun hadn’t realised that a droplet of wine had slipped from the corner of his mouth and was trailing down his chin slowly like blood. Jinyoung’s dark eyes followed the droplet down his throat before giving another delicious smile.

“Why don’t you come along with me, I’m leaving to meet some friends and I’m quite sure they’ll absolutely love you,” Jinyoung’s eyes raked over Baekhyun’s throat as it gulped loudly, “You’ll be the perfect guest of honour.”

The stranger rose to his feet and had Baekhyun been more observant, he’d have noticed the way Jinyoung hadn’t brought his glass to his mouth once. Baekhyun’s neck felt a little warm and the logical voice in his mind should have screamed for him to wake up but he couldn’t, he couldn’t stop staring at Jinyoung, and couldn’t establish just how cold and deathly the stranger’s hand felt when he took hold of it. He barely remembered to grab his backpack as he trailed out of the bar and into sheer darkness.

☁

Baekhyun’s hands no longer trembled when his past memories dropped into their rightful place in the still grey area of his mind. The simple details were starting to come easy enough now; what he liked and disliked with the reasons why. He couldn’t drive - _and no, Chanyeol, I don’t want to learn in your old as time truck_ – but he could cycle for miles, swim for longer and sing louder than Jongdae. Baekhyun despairs remembering more details in the coven and how he got there, rather than putting names to the barely-there faces of his actual family, or friends.

A pop and happy laughter brought him from picking at the sticker on the green beer bottle and glancing back around the fire pit.

The doctors had cornered him one morning and told Baekhyun that he needed to make some friends of his own in Red River, and when Baekhyun replied that he already had friends, they’d said baby Jongin didn’t count. One evening when Chanyeol arrived in his truck after work he told Baekhyun about a bonfire on the beach, and it all seemed to align with Junmyeon and Jongdae’s previous comments rather mysteriously. Chanyeol was persistent that the younger people of Red River tended to do this a lot, no matter the weather, so Baekhyun had gone with him. 

Now, Baekhyun was swaddled in Chanyeol’s huge coat and sat on the end of a log. The fire was lit yet controlled, and the sound of the crackling logs with the lake water shimmying along the shore was a perfect combination. The stars covered the night sky and way up there, a waning crescent moon watched him, making him feel not so alone amongst the new faces. It was a slightly larger group than Baekhyun had expected but after the initial greeting, they’d taken to hovering in small cliques, swapping occasionally to mingle amongst each other.

The beers ran low pretty quick so Chanyeol and a couple of other guys dashed off to do a beer run, another strategic tactic to get Baekhyun to make friends, no doubt. He recognised Irene and Seulgi close to a few other girls that Baekhyun recalled seeing in town. The two guys that were in Minho’s truck the day they’d kissed for the first time were also here – Kris and Sehun – although they were both so tall and handsome Baekhyun kept getting them mixed up. Apart from them, he was pretty much on his own.

But Baekhyun seemed to forget that he was sitting with a bunch of tipsy and extremely curious adolescents, and some were drunker than others.

“Hi!” a sweet voice rang out from his left, “You’re Baekhyun, right? My name’s Luhan and this is my pretty boyfriend, Min.”

The male was taken aback by the statement because both had stunning features and pretty eyes as they sat on the same log as him, hand in hand. Luhan sat next to Baekhyun and had a warm looking beanie atop strawberry blonde hair and a cute smile to match, and his boyfriend was just as pretty as described, dark curly hair with a friendly grin. The flickering fire was reflected in his round glasses. Baekhyun smiled a little in response but said nothing else because Luhan was already talking again at an excitable speed.

“I come from the next town over so you could say I’m pretty new around here too, I know how you feel,” Luhan laughed softly but Minseok sent him a humorous look.

“We’ve been dating for two years, you’re not new around here in the slightest, deer,” Minseok chuckled.

Luhan gave a dramatic shrug and Minseok sipped his beer to hide the smile on his face. They seemed really sweet together, and now Baekhyun thought about it, he was pretty sure Minseok worked in the small grocery Jongdae frequented. Either way, everyone in town had this wonderful way of curiously verbal-tip-toeing around Baekhyun’s reason for being in Red River.

“You and Chanyeol are really sweet together!” Luhan complimented, “Have you guys known each other for that long?”

The way in which Minseok glanced at his boyfriend told Baekhyun everything; he knew what Luhan was insinuating but didn’t scold him for it because he was just as inquisitive.

“I’ve been in Red River for almost two months,” Baekhyun replied, half-answering their question.

Ever since he and Chanyeol had fallen for each other the days just slipped away so quickly. Baekhyun had landed himself in a routine where if he wasn’t babysitting little Jongin, he was helping out at the clinic, cleaning or helping Jongdae take stock of the supplies. On the weekends where Chanyeol wasn’t working they ultimately spent time together, taking Jongin for boat trips around the lake or simply parking up Chanyeol’s rickety old truck somewhere in the wilderness they wouldn’t be disturbed; turns out Baekhyun _really_ likes having sex in the back of a truck under the stars.

Baekhyun felt uneasy for a moment under the couple’s eye, but then a pretty smile stretched across Luhan’s face and he made a dreamy sigh of a sound, glancing once to Minseok then back to Baekhyun.

“That’s so ridiculously cute! There’s something about Red River that just makes people fall in love so fast,” he declared in a sweet voice before clinking his bottle against Minseok’s in a cheers.

Seulgi joined their little trio then and ultimately brought Irene with her, the two hand in hand, and other topics were braced but it soon came back around to Baekhyun and Chanyeol, how sweet they were, and how they’d become so close.

“So what’s the actual story of you guys meeting?” one of the other girls asked then with a hiccup, “If it’s okay to ask?”

There was a small gaggle around Baekhyun at that point, with the addition of the girls and then some other guys he recognised from around town, as well as Luhan and Minseok still beside him. Everyone seemed to know the story but just wanted to hear it from Baekhyun’s own mouth, the male admitted, even though he wished Chanyeol would hurry up with those stupid beers and have his turn in the hot seat. Luhan – a little drunk at this point – placed a protective hand on Baekhyun’s knee. 

“No one’s forcing you to say anything, Baekhyun, we could talk about me and Min’s love story instead, right babe?!” Luhan span and squished his boyfriend’s cheeks with all his might.

“We hear yours every time Luhan opens his mouth,” Irene groaned with her head in Seulgi’s lap.

“Here, here!” Sehun chorused from across the campfire.

“Well,” Baekhyun’s voice was quiet but profound enough to bring a quiet across the group, “It’s not that great of a story, and I’m sure you guys have already heard it, but…I was passed out in the woods on my own. Chanyeol found me and saw I was injured so he brought me back here.”

He didn’t necessarily want to talk about the coven tonight and hoped no one would ask, either. With any luck they’d be sated with the brief outline he had been told by Chanyeol, back when he was laying in the clinic bed, and the silver haired male was a stranger.

“Wait, I think Junmyeon said he went to get Minho’s help, but either way I ended up here with no memories. It feels a long time ago now, though, and I like it here-”

Baekhyun was interrupted then.

A loud, drunken voice echoed across the group as a tall, broad and unsurprisingly handsome guy joined their little huddle, clutching an empty beer bottle and swaying ever so. Baekhyun had a feeling he was called Johnny, but it was confirmed when Sehun grabbed his arm and scolded him with an unimpressed roll of his eyes.

“Huh? What are you talking about, dude?” Johnny spoke as he met Baekhyun’s eyes.

There was no malice on his face, nothing to suggest he was going to say something mean or nasty, but there was definitely _something_ he wanted to say. The others seemed to know that much and it made a strange cloud hover over Baekhyun.

“Johnny, you’re drunk, drink some water!” Minseok scoffed with a forced smile.

The others agreed and attempted to excite Johnny with offers of snacks in the cooler but the male was undeterred. He grabbed hold of Sehun for balance and tilted his head thoughtfully toward Baekhyun.

“No, no, dude, you got it wrong,” Johnny continued with pouting lips, “We were running as a pack and Chanyeol broke away, _and then_ found you.”

Baekhyun laughed a little, it was typical drunken behaviour, Johnny was just trying to tell the same story but add himself into it. He thought nothing of it and when the girls started to throw crumpled up napkins and beer caps at him he figured the group realised the same thing. Luhan leaned across again and tried to distract Baekhyun with another conversation about his hometown and how he’d have to come see their view of the lake but Johnny was obviously persistent in doing what he thought was the right thing.

“There was a whole vampires vs. wolves thing!”

The atmosphere around the campfire immediately shifted. A strange silence blew over.

Minseok was on his feet then, grumbling something as he headed over to Johnny, and even Sehun was whispering something so seething into his ear like an angered snake. All Baekhyun could do was try to make sense of what Johnny had said. The sheer confusion on his face only stirred Johnny on.

“One of those fuckin’ bloodsuckers tried to take you back but you were on our land, you know, so you were protected because of wolf territory,” Johnny tripped over his own feet as Sehun continued trying to grapple him away, “What’s all the pushin’ for?”

The group was obviously divided with how to react to that. The sober ones leaned forward to brush off what Johnny was saying, attempting to talk to Baekhyun about something else, whereas the drunker ones too started to slur out about wolf territory and wolf this and wolf that. All Baekhyun could do was look at Johnny without an absolute clue of what was going on.

“Why are you looking like you didn’t know that?” Johnny quizzed which alcohol melancholy in his tone.

“Because he didn’t know that.”

Johnny, who had stumbled back slightly from his friend’s pushing, hit something hard from behind. He bumped straight into Chanyeol’s chest and the silver haired male’s face was suddenly thunderous. The group reacted immediately; the girls loudly stating everyone should head home, Minseok grabbing hold of Johnny’s arm as Sehun then tried to talk quietly to Chanyeol. Baekhyun just watched as everyone seemed to be on the same mental wavelength but him, he was out of this strange loop, and his stomach churned violently because of it.

Just when he felt like he was so settled and happy, was gradually being reunited with his some of his lost memories, it turned out he still didn’t know everything.

Baekhyun felt frozen while everyone else moved at double pace when a sickening crunch of bones and a growl echoed from somewhere. Johnny’s clothes flew into the air in sheds and tatters and Baekhyun watched as beyond the campfire a couple of huge wolves suddenly tussled down the beach, swiping at each other and kicking up sand in an angry fight. It was hard to see them in the night’s darkness but the bigger wolf was covered in a too-familiar shade of silver fur.

Fear gripped him.

Luhan turned to try and find the boy in all the commotion but all that was left was Chanyeol’s huge coat abandoned in the sand. Baekhyun had taken off sprinting through the dark trees and he didn’t look back.

☁

The voices below were muffled but they were still clear enough for Baekhyun to hear as he sat in little Jongin’s bedroom, lifelessly building a block tower the child hadn’t asked for. The child kept giving him toys and books to occupy him but Baekhyun felt so numb, and the only human he could bear to be near was Jongin. Jongin wasn’t sure what had happened to his normally fun and happy playmate.

“Would you care to tell us what the hell is going on, Chanyeol?!”

Jongdae’s voice simply didn’t do subtle, even if he was genuinely trying, from their place in the kitchen. Baekhyun had been dreading this moment all day and expected the knock on the door the minute he’d opened his eyes that morning. 

“Dae,” Junmyeon sighed.

“Don’t act like you’re not as worried and confused as I am, Kim Junmyeon!”

“I _am_ as worried and confused as you are, Jongdae, but this house is unsettled enough without you raising your voice,” Junmyeon retorted.

A short silence followed and although Baekhyun didn’t hear it, he had a feeling Jongdae was rolling his eyes and mouthing curse words as he tended to do whenever he felt frustrated. The house definitely was unsettled and Baekhyun felt like he was the cause of it whenever he glanced over to see Jongin watching him wordlessly.

“Something upset Baekhyun enough for Minho to find him lost in the woods! He brought him back here at three o’clock in the morning and I want to know what’s going on!” Jongdae exasperated, “Chanyeol?”

If Chanyeol was explaining his part, his voice was so low that Baekhyun couldn’t even hear the murmur of it. Baekhyun wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear what he had to say at that moment; he truly didn’t know how to feel and felt lost in his own home all over again. He’d felt better after Minho had spoken to him last night.

The previous night’s events at the bonfire just seemed so much to take in that Baekhyun didn’t know what else to do than to run away in panic, but the trail he thought would lead straight to the doctor’s home swiftly took him elsewhere, deep into the woods, surrounded by darkness. When he finally stopped running and fell to his knees by a large, fallen tree his lungs burned, and he could no longer see the moon.

Chanyeol had left a big chunk of the story out. Chanyeol had also left out the part that he could turn into a fucking wolf. It had been a lot for a lightweight two-beers-in Baekhyun to process on his own in the middle of a forest he no longer recognised.

“I’m sorry you weren’t told earlier, Baekhyun.”

Head Alpha Minho’s voice came from nowhere but when Baekhyun peered up from where he’d been squeezing his eyes shut into his arms he saw the male stood in front of him, a pair of shorts and those unique tattoos running down his arms. At first Baekhyun wanted to scoff and tell the so-called head of town to take a hike, that Baekhyun didn’t come under his jurisdiction and wouldn’t comply, but Red River was his true home. So he listened.

“You went through a lot in the coven, Baekhyun, and it was decided to let you heal first. I’m sure Chanyeol or the Doc’s didn’t want to keep you in the dark forever, and I’m also sure as hell Chanyeol didn’t want you to find out this way either,” Minho huffed and crouched in front of Baekhyun, “He’ll get his ass handed to him for revealing himself like that and for fighting with his wolf brother.”

Baekhyun had then said, “God, it’s like fucking Twilight,” and Minho had laughed heartily amongst the redwoods.

Then they spoke for a while. Minho was a strong and calming presence as he told Baekhyun about their community’s legends, their protected wolf territories that looked out for each other, and the importance of their way of life remaining a secret to those out of the loop. The head alpha didn’t tell Baekhyun everything, some things had to be left to Junmyeon, Jongdae and Chanyeol, but he explained what Baekhyun hadn’t seen. A few things started to fall into place then, and when Baekhyun had no questions to ask, Minho walked him home.

There was just a lot to take in, and since his serotonin levels had been so high recently finding happiness in his new home and with Chanyeol, when they dropped it felt like he’d crashed.

A warm pair of arms suddenly wrapped themselves round his neck and Jongin’s baby shampoo flooded Baekhyun’s nose; he immediately hugged the child tightly as a reflex. Little Jongin leaned back and then cupped Baekhyun’s cheeks with his small hands.

“Did you have a scary dream? Scary dreams are sad,” Jongin commented with perceptive eyes.

“Yeah, Nini, it was just a scary dream,” Baekhyun lied softly and forced a smile.

“I think Uncle Yeollie is here, maybe if you play with him, you’ll feel better?” Jongin asked as he petted through Baekhyun’s hair like he’d seen his Father’s do many times.

Baekhyun smiled genuinely then and tickled at the child’s pudgy tummy. The child’s laughter started to grow then as he dropped to Baekhyun’s lap to wriggle happily. The sound lifted Baekhyun’s heart tenfold.

“I love playing with you too, Nini, you make me feel so much better, always,” Baekhyun swore with a smile as he ceased his ticklish fingers.

“Thank you for being my brother.”

Jongin’s grin was wide and his eyes were sparkling as he sat and peered into Baekhyun’s face. If Baekhyun wasn’t grinning before, he was now, and pressed a soft kiss to the boy’s forehead before tickling him one final time. Just one more hit of his cute laugh would make him feel truly better.

“Thank you for being mine, Nini,” Baekhyun whispered and he meant it.

The muffled voices from downstairs grew in volume again. Jongin wriggled off Baekhyun’s lap to put his concentration onto the building blocks again, knocking them over with a victorious cry to place a handful in Baekhyun’s open palms. The male tried his best to focus on playing with Jongin but Jongdae’s voice reverberated up toward them, and summoned him to come downstairs.

When Baekhyun entered the kitchen he lingered in the doorway for a moment and took in the atmosphere. The doctors were stood together, leaning on the counters to face Chanyeol who was cornered in one of the chairs. Chanyeol’s hands were knotted together anxiously and when he saw Baekhyun his face went through so many emotions. There were dark circles under his eyes and Baekhyun knew his love hadn’t slept. The same circles were etched on his own face.

“Hi Koi fish,” Chanyeol’s voice was low but he blurted it out like he couldn’t hold the greeting in.

Fuck, that one made his little heart wrench.

“Hi,” Baekhyun simply replied.

He dropped into his regular chair at the table and had to restrain himself and his mixed feelings the minute he smelt Chanyeol so up close to him. The doctors glanced at each other and Jongdae nodded, turning to pour Baekhyun a glass of fresh orange juice as Junmyeon glanced over to him.

“We’ve spoken to Minho and Chanyeol about what happened last night, but we really want to speak to you about it, Baekhyun. We’re sorry we had to keep things from you, first of all, and if you’re angry at us it’s understandable,” Junmyeon switched on his doctoral tone when he addressed Baekhyun.

Jongdae placed the glass of juice in front of Baekhyun and lingered, hands twitching, wanting to speak or act but not wanting to upset the boy. The latter responded by reaching for Jongdae’s hand and placing it onto his cheek, holding it there, until Jongdae leaned down and kissed his hair and fussed over him in relief.

“I’m not angry at anyone anymore,” Baekhyun confessed, “Talking to Minho made me understand most of this…I think I could understand why it was kept from me but the shock of finding out everything just fucked my head up.”

The three others nodded as they listened to Baekhyun’s words. Jongdae released him and backed up, returning to stand beside Junmyeon once more, looping an arm around his waist. Baekhyun sheepishly glanced over to Chanyeol, whose dark eyes were boring into him.

“Seeing my boyfriend turn into a werewolf really fucked my head up,” Baekhyun scoffed.

“We’re not werewolves, sweetheart, just…regular wolves,” Chanyeol’s teachable tone trailed off and he glanced at his hands again, “I’m really fucking sorry, Baekhyun, I…I had a plan to tell you! But you were still struggling with some of your memories and I thought that it wouldn’t hurt to wait longer.”

“It’s not something we can simply confess, Baekhyun, I hope that’s something you can understand,” Junmyeon added with earnest eyes.

“I was eaten by vampires for a year so wolves is something I can process in time but,” Baekhyun’s face screwed up with the frustration he felt and he sent a look to Chanyeol, “You spoke to them! You told me you just found me and brought me here but you fucking spoke to the vampires! Why wouldn’t you tell me that?!”

“You can’t sleep a night without having night terrors about them coming back for you and us, baby, knowing the details of how I found you would have only preyed on you. I’ll apologise for lying but I’m not going to apologise for trying to protect you, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol’s voice rose an octave and his anxious fingers clenched into two fists.

“I’ve lived these last few months knowing nothing so I deserve to know _everything_ that you know about me, good or bad,” Baekhyun demanded with a huff and turned away from Chanyeol.

He told everyone that he wasn’t angry, and deep down he didn’t want to be angry, but seeing Chanyeol so wound up only made him react in the same way. None of them wanted their angered voices to rise up to Jongin playing in his room either, so with a simple look to each other, Chanyeol and Baekhyun mentally decided to calm down.

“Okay, I agree to that,” Chanyeol practically whispered, “If you want to know the real story then I’ll tell you when you’re ready to hear it.” 

There was a long silence in the kitchen. Baekhyun could feel the way Chanyeol was staring at him and as much as he wanted to climb over the table and make up, there was still a hurt and confused part of him that needed tending to, and that came first. Jongdae and Junmyeon glanced at each other knowingly before the latter turned to Chanyeol like a Father regarding their child’s love interest; even if they’d known Chanyeol his whole life in comparison to Baekhyun’s measly month and a half.

“I think you two should go and talk somewhere no one can hear you yell at each other,” Junmyeon advised.

“And somewhere no one can hear you make up,” Jongdae scoffed.

“Dae,” Junmyeon groaned as he detached himself from his husband and left the room to find Jongin.

“Would you come and talk with me somewhere?” Chanyeol’s was voice was small and pleading for Baekhyun to deny, so he easily nodded, and followed the silver haired male out the backdoor and into the wilderness.

☁

“It was here,” Chanyeol spoke lowly, as if they were in a place where someone had died, “I found you lying on those leaves by the rocks. Minho thought that you must have climbed over them and fallen badly and Junmyeon agreed when you arrived at the clinic.”

It wasn’t a cold day but Baekhyun shivered. He held his arms around himself tightly as if he needed to protect himself. He’d demanded that Chanyeol show him where he was found and he knew he had a crazy glint in his eye because Chanyeol had gulped nervously before revving up his truck. The drive seemed so long and far from Red River that normally Baekhyun wouldn’t have felt safe and demanded they turn round, but he was persistent now.

If this was the last piece of the puzzle to fit he wanted to fucking know about it.

Baekhyun slowly followed the direction of Chanyeol’s pointed finger until he stood on the very spot. To anyone else it just seemed like a patch of woodland, pebbles and bark on the floor, dandelions pushing out from the soil with other weeds. After staring at the jagged face of the jutting rock he turned to look at Chanyeol. The male looked pained; putting Baekhyun through this was obviously something he didn’t want to do.

“I need to know, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun pleaded as his eyes glassing over, “I don’t want to live a life where everyone knows something about me that I don’t.”

Chanyeol’s head dropped and he stared at his own feet, shoulders hung low, hands deep into his pockets. If he was in a better mood, Baekhyun might have cooed or fawned over how small the huge boy looked, but he felt like he was inches away from grabbing the key to unlock everything.

“Please!”

“Are you gonna leave if you know?” Chanyeol then blurted out with a trembling lip and sad, teary eyes.

“No!” Baekhyun heard himself then blurt, “Red River is my home, but I don’t want to feel like the lost boy again, I don’t want everyone to look at me in a sad way because they know something I don’t!”

“Do you think you’re the only one who’s experienced that?” Chanyeol’s tone changed, then, into something that Baekhyun had never heard before, “I know what it’s like to feel clueless in your own home, to have people you love look at you knowingly when _I_ know fucking nothing! I know that as much as you do!”

He was angry now, and not in the frustrated way he appeared in the kitchen earlier, this was real anger. A fire lit deep inside of Chanyeol’s soul that had been left to burn over time. He took a few steps toward Baekhyun; his arms thrashed with every word he spoke, reiterating his point, and the smaller felt so shocked from the scene he didn’t – or couldn’t – move.

“I’ve had that my whole fucking life, Baekhyun! One day my parents went for a hike and never came back, they disappeared off the face of the fucking earth but everyone knows what happened to them. To this day Minho looks me in the eye and tells me he doesn’t know but he does! They do!” Chanyeol’s voice cracked as tears charged down his pale cheeks, “They were killed, and I fucking know who by even if no one will admit it. When I found you that day I couldn’t let them take another defenceless life.” 

The forest felt deadly silent after that. Baekhyun’s throat was hurting from the way he was trying not to cry at the admission and Chanyeol turned away for a moment and looked skyward, to compose himself. Not even a bird sang in the long pause between Chanyeol’s painful admission and his following words.

“I just wanted to protect you, koi fish, I wanted to protect you so bad but in doing so I’ve hurt you,”

Chanyeol didn’t finish his sentence because Baekhyun had crashed his body into his. The smaller all but leapt forward to wrap his arms around Chanyeol’s neck and squeeze tightly, needing to feel the warmth of his lover’s heaving chest. Chanyeol melted and clutched at Baekhyun with as much strength as they buried their faces in each other’s necks. They felt so powerful when they held each other like this, like something undefeatable was flooding through their veins and energizing their bodies.

“You didn’t hurt me, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun croaked with his lips buried in Chanyeol’s silver hair. 

“I did,” Chanyeol squeaked like he was still trying to compose himself.

“You didn’t hurt me,” Baekhyun reiterated truthfully.

It was the truth. Baekhyun was undoubtedly upset that things had been kept from him, it felt like someone had snatched away the rug from under his feet. Yes, he wanted to know the truth about how they really found him, but he didn’t feel hurt by the actions of his loved ones. He didn’t want to put them through pain in order to find out, even if some would consider it too selfless of him.

“I’m sorry if I upset you, baby,” Baekhyun whispered when Chanyeol peeked his head up to rest their foreheads together.

“I’m sorry that I upset you,” Chanyeol murmured.

His large hand combed through the back of Baekhyun’s black hair and the smaller felt even more at peace by the touch. He kissed softly at Chanyeol’s wet cheeks and smiled a little, feeling comforted that Chanyeol wasn’t one to hold back his own emotions and feelings. It was good to cry.

“The last twenty-four hours have just been a little crazy,” Baekhyun sighed with his arms wrapped tightly around his love’s waist.

“I just wish I could have been able to tell you properly,” Chanyeol sighed as his fingertips brushed through the hair at Baekhyun’s nape, “I always told you that there were things I wanted you to know.”

“I used to wonder why you were all so cool in believing what happened to me with the coven…it’s because you all have dog breath,”

“Hey!” Chanyeol whipped his head up and even though his eyes were still glassy, he smiled genuinely with dark pink lips.

With all of his might, Baekhyun tiptoed and craned himself up until he could reach Chanyeol for another long, soft kiss. He smiled afterward and turned to glance at the jagged rock they were snuggled in front of.

“They tried to take you back,” Chanyeol mumbled as he too looked over the scenery around them, “The sun was still setting when we found you but they must have been desperate to catch you, one of them stood on that rock, regardless of the sun.”

“It’s okay, Chanyeol, you don’t have to say it right now,” Baekhyun enthused even if his curiosity was still peeked. 

The taller forced a smile and then enclosed their hands together, a soft gesture.

“You need to know, sweetheart, you deserve that much,” Chanyeol persisted, “This is far away from Red River but it’s still wolf territory, the vampire was playing with fire enough and when Minho and the pack arrived the fucker was truly outnumbered. I had you in my arms the whole time, damn baby, you felt so cold and tiny and lifeless…I kinda thought we were too late but I carried you all the way back to Jun and Jongdae’s.”

“There was something about you that I couldn’t physically let go of. When you were in and out of sleep your tiny hand just kept clutching hold of mine and you looked so small…I promised myself I’d look after you forever,” Chanyeol finished with a long, important squeeze of their hands.

“People might say that you saved my life but you gave me so much more than that,” Baekhyun admitted as his body drew back against Chanyeol’s for another long hug, “You gave me life, Chanyeol, so much hope and freedom and happiness. I wanna live our life forever.”

“We will,” Chanyeol answered simply like it was something he’d already foreseen, “It’s what we both deserve.”

That was true enough. As they held each other in the quiet forest Baekhyun closed his eyes and suddenly he could see it all, a house, kids, pets, homework on a Sunday night and hasty breakfasts on a Monday. Then he opened his eyes with a smile because he wanted to leave some of it as a surprise.

Baekhyun felt happy enough to leave this spot and never return so they got into the truck. They drove along a few trails before Chanyeol pulled up by a large, natural pond which must have flowed into the river that went around town and into the lake. It was a beautiful sight, even with the overgrown greenery leaning into the edge of the water so much that Baekhyun wasn’t sure what was reflection and what was real. When Chanyeol cut the engine Baekhyun unbuckled his belt and shuffled right up against his lover’s side. When Chanyeol’s long arm wrapped around his shoulders he let out a content sigh. 

A lone, white egret bird landed in the water and stalked the surface, its beak hunting for fish below the surface. The lovers watched as it flew back the way it came before Baekhyun looked up at Chanyeol, gazing across the hints of dark stubble under his jaw and his upper lip. He trailed the tip of his nose along it, affectionately, until Chanyeol glanced down and met his eyes.

“I’m sorry that happened to your parents. I’m sorry no one would tell you the truth,” Baekhyun spoke quietly.

“Thanks sweetheart,” Chanyeol was genuine and kissed Baekhyun’s temple softly.

“Is that why you’re so close with Jun and Jongdae?” Baekhyun asked and hoped he wasn’t being too nosy, or probing. 

But alas Chanyeol nodded and glanced to the water with a sentimental smile, his hand working its way back into Baekhyun’s hair, pinkie finger stroking over Baekhyun’s ear every so often.

“I was younger than Jongin when it happened and Halmeoni was so insistent to look after me but it meant she didn’t process what happened. She got really tired and sick, and so Junmyeon’s family looked after me for a while, he was like a brother, and when he met Jongdae they always used to babysit and look after me,” Chanyeol paused and smiled deviously, “And as you know my Halmeoni recovered to her unique self.”

“The people of Red River are just one big family, huh?” Baekhyun commented.

“Yeah, and you’re part of it,” Chanyeol replied with another kiss to Baekhyun’s temple.

They sat in a contented quiet for a short while. The hours of what had happened between the bonfire and now seemed so dramatically long for a new couple in the midst of their love-puppy honeymoon phase so being able to hold each other again felt like perfection. Until the sun broke out from the clouds and Chanyeol found the blue water too tempting.

He peeled away from his tiny boyfriend and opened the car door, pulling off his baggy hoodie in one smooth motion. Baekhyun’s stomach released a mass of butterflies that fluttered around his whole body at the sight of Chanyeol’s tanned skin and worked out torso.

“You wanna come for a swim, koi fish?” Chanyeol asked with a beaming smile.

“You wanna fuck me underwater?” Baekhyun replied all but too easily.

“What?”

“What?” 

☁

_{in depth talk of scarring}_

The seed had been planted with a small, offhanded comment from Jongin during the child’s bath time. Junmyeon was working until late at the clinic and Jongdae had had a hectic day in the next town over since they’d found themselves short-staffed, so Baekhyun stepped in to look after Jongin’s bedtime routine. Jongin was splashing happily with a head full of bubbles and laughed loudly when Baekhyun fixed him a bubble beard.

Jongin’s small, wet hand trailed down Baekhyun’s arm curiously, glancing over it, before the child grinned.

“No more ouchies, Koia,” Jongin said simply before he not-so-accidentally splashed water down Baekhyun’s front with a devious smile.

Baekhyun hadn’t really had much time to think about what he’d meant between the bubbly puddles and child-wrangling that was an average Jongin bath time, but when he finally got the boy into his pyjamas and into bed, the thought caught up with him. When he returned to the bathroom to hang Jongin’s wet towels on the rail he couldn’t help but glance over his shoulder at the full-length mirror. Had Jongin meant his scars?

He saw each and every one, deep and littered across his skin from wrist to shoulder, teeth punctures from the coven. Baekhyun had changed into some cosy sweats but he could mentally map out each scar beneath the material from memory. He tried to brush it off as he cleaned the room and started to create small, quiet tasks to carry out around the house, but it was no use. His mind just kept going back to what Jongin had said.

If those around him ever noticed his scars they made a hell of a good effort to hide it. Baekhyun had never been the shorts and t-shirt type, and rarely wore clothes that showed much of his legs or arms, so naturally he thought it would be harder for people to notice them. To this day he still felt so conscious in front of Irene and Seulgi when they’d practically stripped him off to create new clothes for and even Minho, since the Head Alpha knew as much too.

Around the house Baekhyun felt more comfortable to wear more relaxed clothes. He’d come downstairs in the morning in his sleeping shorts to pile scrambled eggs onto his place and sit with his family, or laze around in a baggy t-shirt playing with Jongin. Jongdae and Junmyeon had never made comments or even observations but Baekhyun assumed that was how doctors were; they were used to quietly observing patients.

Even little Jongin rarely said anything out of the ordinary about Baekhyun’s scars, until today.

The only person in Red River who’d seen all of his body in its truest, barest form was Chanyeol. The couple had never found themselves in a private place where they could freely stare and admire each other’s bodies anyway without being disrupted so nine times out of ten, private time was rushed. At Jun and Jongdae’s, Jongin would be home and if at night sleeping soundly whereas at Chanyeol’s, Halmeoni was home watching them eagerly, which always meant getting creative somewhere in the surrounding woodland.

Laying together naked in the back of a truck staring up at the stars sure sounded romantic but it was often cold, dark and bug-ridden. There was also no telling if a wolf or two was running eagerly nearby. So even if Chanyeol had seen how bad some of the coven scars on Baekhyun’s body were, he too, made a pretty impressive effort to pretend he didn’t see them.

“Hi Baekhyunnie,” Jongdae greeted, a long yawn interrupted his sentence, “I must have fallen asleep.”

He had been asleep. Baekhyun had left the male cuddled up in his favourite corner of the sofa with a warm blanket over his lap and an empty wine glass on the coffee table. Jongdae always moaned that he missed episodes of his favourite soap dramas and yet he could never stay awake to watch them all. He stretched his arms above his head with a satisfied noise before patting the spot across for him.

Baekhyun went willingly and made himself comfortable and couldn’t help but smile when Jongdae attempted to share his warm blanket with as little movement as possible.

“Is the little bear fast asleep?”

“Out for the count,” Baekhyun answered with a smile, “Although he soaked the bathroom and made me read the same story three times.”

“Nini loves reading. He gets it from Junmyeon, when we first started dating Jun always had a book in his hand, I used to wake up in the morning and he’d be fast asleep with the book on his face,” Jongdae laughed and smiled so heartily it made Baekhyun’s chest feel warm.

He could imagine the couple for a brief moment, before babies and jobs and responsibilities, when the doctors were young and in love. He wondered if they too just drove for miles in the most contented silence because their entwined hands spoke more than their words ever could. Then he came back to earth because Jongdae laughed loudly at something on the TV.

Baekhyun tried to do the same and pay attention to the variety show but his eyes kept drawing back to his arms and Jongin’s words were playing on repeat in his mind. He’d subconsciously started to fiddle with the loose threads on the edge of the blanket and Jongdae was drawn to the strange tugging sensation with a curious frown.

“That’s the face of someone who’s thinking about something rather deeply,” Jongdae observed with a raised brow, “Do you want to talk?”

The boy released the blanket when he realised he was practically unhooking the threads and made a mental note to fix it at a later date. Jongdae asking him what was wrong was like a green light in his mind, so Baekhyun all but turned to face Jongdae with his bare arms outstretched in front of him.

“Jongin said something about my arms earlier and it really confused me,” Baekhyun confessed as his eyes glazed over the puncture marks, “Are my scars healing? He said there weren’t any more but, I mean, look at them.”

Jongdae’s face turned quizzical then, and Baekhyun figured that maybe the statement had thrown him a little as if he hadn’t expected it. The doctor glanced across Baekhyun’s pale arms and in a swift movement ran his fingertips along them from elbow to wrist, the pad of his thumb softly touching over the skin in a quiet investigation. Baekhyun prepared for the other to turn around and tell him that the damage was too much, or the punctures were too deep, the skin wasn’t strong enough to heal them.

“What am I looking at here?” Jongdae blurted out instead.

He all but pulled Baekhyun’s arms closer to him and really and truly gazed into the skin as if nothing was there. Baekhyun immediately frowned; Jongdae’s thumb was literally resting on one of the worst and deepest scars in the centre of his frail wrists where his veins had looked the bluest pushed up against his skin.

“Jongdae,” Baekhyun whined and scoffed like an unhappy teenager, “C’mon.”

“What?” Jongdae gave a shrug and released Baekhyun’s arms from his grip, “I’m unsure which scarring you’re worried about. The best thing for vampire scars is sunshine, positivity and the odd cream here and there, which is what you did. There’s nothing here.”

“Don’t pretend like you can’t see them,” Baekhyun retorted.

“I can’t, Baekhyun! The only ones me and Jun noticed was the deep one on your left shoulder, the one on your chest and then there’s a slight one here,” Jongdae pointed to the very profound puncture mark on Baekhyun’s wrist, “The worst ones will always remain but the rest of them healed up within weeks of you being here.”

As Baekhyun examined his littered arms with frantic eyes he didn’t notice the way in which Jongdae watched him, worried and parental, like there was something going on he couldn’t protect Baekhyun from. Then he sighed softly and held Baekhyun’s arms, treating the boy like he was tiny and precious. It made Baekhyun look up and when he saw the sad look in Jongdae’s eyes, it clicked without need for it to be said.

“You…can’t see them, can you?”

“I’ve only ever seen the ones I stated, sweetheart,” Jongdae confirmed as he leaned up and stroked over Baekhyun’s cheek, “I think the effects of the coven are still taking time for you to process and heal from. I think you’re seeing scars that aren’t there anymore, Baekhyun.”

“Oh,” Baekhyun let out in the tiniest, weakest voice.

So that was why everyone was so brilliant at avoiding them, noticing them or even asking about them. During his whole time finding a home in Red River, it was only he who could see the extent of what the vampires had done to him, and yet now he couldn’t even decipher what they had and hadn’t done.

“I’m the only one who can see them,” Baekhyun whispered.

“No one in this home looks at you with pity, or sadness, Baekhyun. We look at you with love, pride and relief! Jongin looks at you with happiness because he has a big brother who has as much energy as he does, and I look at you with gratitude because I hate washing plates all damn night,” Jongdae grinned mischievously, “And Chanyeol looks at you as one horny teenager looking at another horny teenager.”

Baekhyun laughed genuinely then. He thought that a sad, grey cloud might fill his chest at the sad realisation but sitting in the warmth of the living room with Jongdae smiling at him and Jongin sleeping soundly upstairs, the cloud never came. He was sick of feeling sad about the things he couldn’t control and he didn’t want to be anymore, Baekhyun just wanted to live the happy life that seemed so far away when he was in the pain of the coven house.

“Do you want me to call Chanyeol? He could come over and cheer you up,”

“No,” Baekhyun interrupted with a smile, “I’m just as happy here.”

The comment must have surprised Jongdae but what surprised the doctor more was Baekhyun’s body all but lunging at him. Baekhyun snuggled against the man like he’d seen Jongin do many times and rejoiced in the warmth and welcome smell of Jongdae’s clothes. Jongdae and Junmyeon were as much Father figures to Baekhyun as they were brotherly, and either way, he felt safe and happy with them.

Jongdae was all too happy to tuck Baekhyun happily into the blanket and cuddle up to his big baby with a contented hum and a last sip of red wine. When Junmyeon returned from work in the dark hours of night, he too smiled at the sight of his big babies cuddled up and fast asleep on the couch, with the addition of a starfished little Jongin who’d wandered downstairs and felt immediately left out.

☁

Another day, another woodland clearing for Baekhyun and Chanyeol to park up for a few hours of peace and privacy. Some might have considered these odd nights under the starry skies and redwood canopies dates, but to the couple they were just another undefined area of their happy relationship. They’d never found themselves at a stage where things needed to be defined, official boyfriend titles, anniversaries and dates; Red River knew they were in love so there was never any need to declare it.

To the public, anyway, private declarations of love were fast and frequent and most likely on meeting and leaving.

Baekhyun sat with his legs dangling on the back of the truck and a smile slapped over his face. Today it was him who had been working all day at the clinic as Junmyeon’s shadow, watching him observe his patients and learning what treatments were best for what. As his days in Red River happily multiplied Baekhyun was finding out that he truly loved being in the clinic and helping where he could, and had impressed the two doctors enough for them to take him on as an unofficial intern. After a long day on his feet he knew just what he wanted to do tonight.

“Go on,” Baekhyun urged with an eager smile, “Do the thing.”

“Fine,” Chanyeol answered, his begrudged tone not matching his smirk, “If you wanna see then I’ll show you. Hold this.”

The male tugged off his plaid shirt, then his under tee followed and both were aimed at Baekhyun like some sort of strip show. The latter caught the clothing with a laugh and rolled his eyes playfully to his lover, who stood comfortably in the clearing in simply a pair of sweatpants.

“Is that necessary or are you doing it to show off?” Baekhyun teased.

“To show off of course. You ready, koi fish?”

Baekhyun nodded eagerly. He watched with curious eyes as his boyfriend gave him a heart-fluttering wink – they still affected him greatly – as a rush of forest leaves bustled into the breeze. His handsome lover had now disappeared but in his place was a lean, silver wolf with the darkest eyes Baekhyun had ever seen, grey sweats abandoned in the leaves and an abandoned pair of boots with it. He knew it was Chanyeol, but Baekhyun couldn’t help but stay still and observe the animal, a natural instinct upon greeting a wolf.

He clutched Chanyeol’s clothes and stayed quiet, until the wolf’s tail flipped up happily with a wave of silver, and wagged like a happy dog. The motion brought laughter bubbling from Baekhyun’s throat. For some reason, it confirmed the wolf was definitely his Chanyeol, even if he had just seen the whole transformation with his own eyes. He abandoned the clothes in the truck and hopped out, onto his own feet, as the large wolf padded to meet him halfway.

Even in wolf form, Chanyeol was at least 3 feet and the tops of his ears came to Baekhyun’s chest, but the latter wasn’t intimidated. The wolf’s fur looked so thick and soft and when Chanyeol’s black snout pushed into Baekhyun’s hands, the boy burst into a grin and fussed over him. He’d never felt something so soft and Chanyeol was quick to push the boy onto the forest floor and lay across him, a face full of silver fur, limbs pinned down by a huge lazy wolf.

“You’re crushing me, you dumb alpha!” Baekhyun wheezed with a loud laugh.

The wolf played on it more, wriggling and nuzzling his face into Baekhyun’s neck and lapping at his cheeks with a pink tongue. When Baekhyun gave another wheeze the wolf finally let up and jumped back to his feet with perfect agility so his lover could sit up. Junmyeon, Jongdae and Chanyeol had explained to him about Red River’s wolf heritage. When Baekhyun had glanced to the doctor’s and quizzed them if they had been wolves this whole time too, they all laughed. 

It turned out that only alphas had the ability to change into a wolf form. Betas and omegas could birth an alpha, if they were mated with an alpha, but otherwise it was somewhat rare. Junmyeon and Jongdae had explained that they already knew little Jongin was a beta, like they were. It was easy enough for Baekhyun to understand, but as he sat fussing over Chanyeol’s tufty ears, a very important question popped into his mind.

“Wait,” Baekhyun blurted as he dropped his hands, “If we’re mates, am I going to turn into a wolf too?!”

The silver wolf fell dramatically into a pile of leaves and made a snickering noise that was all too familiar of Chanyeol’s laugh. Baekhyun immediately pouted, turns out his boyfriend was just as goofy as a wolf.

“Stop laughing! It’s a valid question!”

Baekhyun huffed but considered his question answered, which was good, because he didn’t want to turn into a wolf anytime soon. A lot had happened in the short space of time he’d been at Red River and he didn’t want to add mammal shape shifting onto that list anytime soon. Chanyeol recovered from his snicker fit and nuzzled his chest again, dropping between Baekhyun’s legs, like a big dog who didn’t understand just how big he was.

“Well…what about mating?” Baekhyun tried again as he lazily brushed through Chanyeol’s fur, “Am I going to get pregnant like Jongdae did?!”

The statement affected Chanyeol like it would any boyfriend in a new relationship. The wolf immediately shifted back into the warm, soft body of his lover and Baekhyun flinched ever so when Chanyeol was suddenly before him, nude from top to bottom, except for a pile of leaves over his groin and two very, very pink ears. Chanyeol’s voice let out a growl of a sound before he glanced at his hands and realised that they were in fact, hands, which made the male blush even more.

Baekhyun could only blink innocently.

“Can you only shift for so long?”

“N-no,” Chanyeol blurted, “I can be a wolf for as long as I like!”

“So…how come you shifted back?”

“Your question startled me back into human form! T-talking about mating and babies, already, you sounded like Halmeoni! It’s getting cold, c’mon, koi fish, you never told me about what happened at work with Jun!”

Chanyeol huffed as he got to his feet, clutching the bundle of leaves to his private area, comically. The male started to ramble off and change the topic to save his own nerves, Baekhyun knew, and the latter bit on his lip to hold his laughter at the sight of Chanyeol’s pale bottom walking away from him toward the truck. He knew that his lover didn’t mean it in a bad way, because he understood Chanyeol where others didn’t, and it felt good to have blushing leverage on the male.

The new thoughts of wolf babies bounced around Baekhyun’s once before he simply compiled it away for another day, probably with Jongdae, who enjoyed being so upfront about it. In the meantime Baekhyun leaned across and reached for a thick looking stick, and with a slight whistle, he caught Chanyeol’s attention. The silver haired male glanced over with a pout on his lips. Baekhyun grinned impishly as he wriggled the stick and threw it across the clearing like he would for a dog.

“Get it boy!” he shouted playfully.

He rejoiced in the way Chanyeol dropped the bundle of leaves and grumbled something moodily about absolutely in no way being a dog, but sure enough, four paws and a wolf tail reappeared. The silver wolf dashed into the wilderness after the stick and left Baekhyun to laugh loudly, practically rolling on the forest floor, until the sound of paws returned.

“Chanyeol, no! No! That’s so gross, don’t you dare come over here with that, don’t!”

Baekhyun then screeched as the wolf reappeared with the remnants of some kind of dead bird and bolted straight for his boyfriend with a playful swish of his tail. Chanyeol was marched inside of Junmyeon and Jongdae’s later to brush his teeth and use excessive mouthwash before Baekhyun would grant him a soft, but very swift, kiss goodbye when they finally left the clearing. 

☁

_ 6th May 1995 _

The doctor’s kitchen was very quiet for a brief, brief moment. Baekhyun glanced over his shoulder and really craned his neck to make sure that no one was around, before he scooped up Jongin with stealth. Jongin’s tiny hands grabbed at one of the many pretty cupcakes on the stand and removed it with a joyous smile. The so-called adult tried to rearrange the cupcakes so that no one would catch their crime as Jongin pulled back the pretty paper case and took a large bite. He offered it then to Baekhyun who did the same, and they both ate with speed, like ravenous dogs.

Of course, however quiet they were in their crime, and as quick as they ate the baked good, Jongdae had a sixth sense for others making mischief. He swivelled into the kitchen and caught them in the act, as if the chocolate frosting on both their faces wasn’t obvious enough. Baekhyun immediately pointed at the child with no remorse.

“It was all Nini’s idea!”

The child gasped with all the dramatic audacity of Jongdae and turned to Baekhyun in betrayal. His hands were on his hips in moments and he even gave a stomp of his foot. 

“It was Koia’s idea!” Jongin retorted with a chocolate covered grin.

“Little snitch,” Baekhyun whispered playfully.

“I can’t believe you guys couldn’t wait another few minutes before digging in like cute vultures!” Jongdae huffed as he barged past them to guard the food, “Go outside and greet the guests, nay, _your_ birthday guests!”

It was all Jongdae’s fault, really, how did he expect anyone to simply ignore the array of party food that he and some of the Red River aunties had been cooking up. There were huge muffins, pretty cupcakes, irresistible cheesecakes and every flapjack and brownie combination known to man. It was also no secret that Junmyeon had been thieving his Mother’s blueberry bites all morning whenever Jongdae wasn’t looking.

It had been pure torture for Baekhyun and Jongin to have so many treats in the house and no access to them. They both huffed as they made their way outside where the balloons were floating under the spring sunshine – they’d taken ages for Junmyeon to fix them down, he’d lost three of them already – and he guests were hovering around.

The birthday party had been a group idea. Slowly, more and more of Baekhyun’s memories had returned over his time at Red River. One moment Baekhyun had been having a shower and singing loudly when it finally hit him, after all the time chasing his lost memories, his age. He remembered his birthday and realised that he was a whole year older than his boyfriend.

With his age and a new hometown, he and Chanyeol had driven out to the next biggest city, Echor, and managed to get Baekhyun a new set of ID. Just holding it in his hands had made Baekhyun feel so human, and real, like he could never be forgotten again.

Jongdae and Junmyeon had told Chanyeol that they’d wanted to throw a surprise party for Baekhyun now they knew his birthday, only for the tall male to reveal that he too was planning a surprise party for Baekhyun. When Baekhyun came to them later on and asked if he could host a party for his birthday, they decided to let him in on the secret, since none of them could resist Baekhyun’s sparkling, hopeful eyes.

Two weeks later, the garden was decked out in birthday splendour and so many of the familiar faces who Baekhyun now counted as friends were gathered with gifts and drinks in tow. The sky was blue and the sun was high in the sky especially for the occasion so everyone was in great spirits. Jongin leapt from the porch and ran toward his other Father, who immediately wiped the chocolate frosting from his son’s face before the child rushed off to play with others his age.

What Baekhyun called Chanyeol’s ‘wolf squad’ arrived first; Johnny all but jumped the gate with a grin and a brightly wrapped present, followed by Sehun, Kris, Minseok and Luhan. Irene and Seulgi arrived promptly too in some fun, sequinned outfits and an equally large gift bag. Baekhyun had briefly glimpsed inside and couldn’t help but despair at what looked like a sequinned blazer for himself. Minho, Taemin and their son Jonghyun joined the party followed by some more of the Red River elders.

His heart had felt so happy when Chanyeol had arrived with his Halmeoni and kissed him softly in front of everyone. Halmeoni had placed another beautiful necklace around Baekhyun’s neck before going off to fuss over Jongin and Jonghyun.

Two hands covered Baekhyun’s eyes then and he couldn’t help but laugh at Luhan’s recognisable sweet perfume. Minseok and Luhan had finally moved in together, choosing Red River as their home, and were currently fixing up a small house near the lake front. Baekhyun and Luhan had became fast friends the moment the latter knocked loudly on Jongdae and Junmyeon’s door and demanded Baekhyun’s friendship with a cute grin.

“Hi honey!” Luhan called happily as he bounced round to face Baekhyun and fix a happy birthday headband to Baekhyun’s head, “Are you having a great birthday?”

“It’s great, but I’m excited to eat,” Baekhyun joked as he squeezed his friend in a hug.

“Stop being impatient!” Jongdae’s voice echoed from the kitchen window and caused the boys to laugh at his expense.

The kids rushed past again as they ran in excitable circles round the garden and through the guests; Sehun’s long legs were being used as some kind of obstacle course and every time he lost balance the other wolves laughed loudly. Occasionally Johnny would playfully growl and pretend to chase them with a huge smile on his face. Halmeoni was busy poking Kris in the back and scolding him for not having found a partner yet, to which the tall male laughed awkwardly.

Baekhyun’s heart felt so full in that moment. He could have sat and watched his new friends and family enjoying themselves and laughing in the sunshine for hours. And he would have, had the click of a camera not distracted him. The two friends turned and there Chanyeol was, in some smart navy pants and a simple tee, aiming his camera at Baekhyun and Luhan with a grin. His hair was slicked back away from his face which suddenly aged him five years and made him look simply irresistible.

Chanyeol must have seen the hint of lust in his lover’s eyes because he grinned and snapped another photo as Luhan eagerly pushed his cheek against Baekhyun’s to pose happily.

“Thank gosh,” Junmyeon exclaimed as he reached the little bubble and offered Chanyeol a beer, “If Jongdae’s sent the camera outside then the cake’s coming.”

“STOP SPOILING THE SURPRISES, JUNMYEON!”

Jongdae’s eccentric voice came from the kitchen window once more and the group immediately laughed. Minseok called for Luhan across the garden and Chanyeol took another sly photo of Baekhyun in his birthday headband before accepting the beer from Junmyeon.

“Do you think everyone’s having fun?” Baekhyun asked genuinely.

The tall male leaned down easily and pressed a long kiss to Baekhyun’s cheek before giving him a grin.

“It’s a good one, sweetheart, everyone’s loving it,” he answered.

Junmyeon glanced up to where Jongdae was gesturing madly at him from the window and chuckled, shaking his head ever so. He took the camera from Chanyeol and nodded across to the set table at the head of the large garden, where the birthday seat had been adorned with streamers and balloons. It was obviously cake time.

Chanyeol took hold of Baekhyun’s hands with an excited smile to lead him through the guests to the birthday seat, and the moment Baekhyun’s butt was in it, little Jongin rushed out of nowhere to clamber onto his lap. They were like two kids sat on the birthday chair, bobbing and grinning excitedly. The next few moments were colourful and exciting; Jongdae emerged from the kitchen door holding a huge, tiered birthday cake with atleast twenty candles on it and brought it to the table, placing it in front of the birthday boy.

Junmyeon aimed the camera with expertise as the garden broke into a loud, cheerful rendition of the birthday song. Luhan’s Polaroid was working overtime and Minseok was desperately trying to catch the images as they shot out from the camera and even Minho aimed a video camera in Baekhyun’s direction. Jongin’s little eyes grew wide at the size of the colourful cake and Baekhyun couldn’t stop grinning, especially when Chanyeol’s warm hands wrapped around his shoulders sweetly.

The birthday song ended with a dramatic high note from Jongdae and Baekhyun wasted no time in blowing out his candles with Jongin’s help. Naturally, Baekhyun had had many birthdays, but this one felt like the very first one. He was home, happy and surrounded with the people he loved and had the rest of his life to make memories with the people surrounding the table.

“Did you make a wish?!” Jongin asked excitedly as he looked up at Baekhyun’s face.

The post-cake mission must have commenced because suddenly Halmeoni was handing out paper plates and Jongdae brandished a long, sharp knife from nowhere to slice the cake. Baekhyun had to stop himself from laughing as Chanyeol leaned and delivered another sweet kiss to his cheeks.

“Yeah, koi fish, did you make a wish?” the male grinned excitedly.

Baekhyun glanced across every inch of Chanyeol’s face and let out the dreamiest, happiest sigh. He had so much bliss ahead of him that choosing one particular thing he wanted was tricky, but admiring his love’s sparkling eyes and dimpled cheeks made a particular wish fall into the forefront of his mind.

“Mhm,” he grinned with a lovesick smile, “I made a wish.”

“Don’t tell us or it won’t come true!” Junmyeon warned as his husband enlisted him in dishing out slices of wonkily cut cake.

One of Jongdae’s ever-knowing cackles came from his throat when he put another piece of cake on a plate and offered it to a hungry looking Luhan. Junmyeon glanced across Jongdae’s face and scoffed a little with a grin, obviously on the same wavelength, and ate a forkful of cake with a knowing smile. Baekhyun and Chanyeol glanced up to the other couple with clueless expressions. Jongdae handed them both a plate each, and one to Jongin, before he nodded to the necklace around Baekhyun’s neck. 

Baekhyun glanced down and stroked over the necklace Chanyeol’s Halmeoni had practically bestowed upon him and thought nothing of it until his boyfriend took hold of it. His eyes went wide with his usual combination of grandchild-induced embarrassment and vexation.

“Halmeoni!” Chanyeol whined as he straightened up and called after the old woman, who was obviously ignoring her grandson to wander over to Minho and Taemin, “Why are you putting fertility necklaces on Baekhyun?!”

“Told you that was Baekhyun’s broody face,” Jongdae muttered to Junmyeon with a devious grin.

“F-fertility?” Chanyeol’s mouth wobbled out with pink cheeks, “B-broody?”

The birthday boy smiled in obvious happiness at his boyfriend. His family weren’t exactly wrong in their thinking, and his heart kept beating at the thought of him and Chanyeol’s future life together. On the other hand, he absolutely loved making his boyfriend blush and fluster at the topic, and when Chanyeol dramatically and comically fainted in the grass, Baekhyun laughed the loudest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! I hope you enjoyed the main parts of this au, part three is the final instalment I'm currently writing so will hopefully come soon ♥


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short but sweet flash-forward to Chanyeol and Baekhyun's life in Red River and the final fluffy instalment of their story...and of course, there's MPREG. ♥

☁

_ 3 _

☁

_ 1998 _

It had all started when Baekhyun felt Chanyeol started to act secretive and closed off, which was mutual, because Chanyeol thought that Baekhyun was acting secretive and closed off. For what seemed like the longest few weeks to the couple as well as and their friends and family, the relationship was purely made up of mood swings, huffy behaviour, folded arms and deep frowns. It was only natural for the couple to go through a rough patch, like all couples eventually did, and after being together for three years it was bound to happen.

Chanyeol had managed to get steady building work in the next town over, which meant even though he was constantly driving and his time in the week with Baekhyun was brief, he’d began making twice the money. Baekhyun was now a constant figure in Junmyeon and Jongdae’s clinic after choosing to study for a nursing degree, shadowing the doctor’s and revising textbooks in his spare time. It had made sense for Baekhyun to continue living in the Kim household, especially since it felt so much like home, so they’d both agreed that they were in no rush to get a space of their own.

Even if Chanyeol’s Halmeoni was all too eager to ship the boys off to a house and seal the door until they came out with grandbabies. Jongdae didn’t exactly share the same opinion and kept having bouts of empty nest syndrome; his own biological baby had just turned thirteen and would soon be a big scary teenager and he didn’t want either Jongin or Baekhyun to leave the household too soon.

But then again, Jongdae had never seen Baekhyun so hormonal before, and the thought of a quiet house was starting to seem very, very nice.

“Sweetheart,” Jongdae began with another one of his advisory speeches, “You’ve been working hard at the clinic all week, and when you’re not pulling long hours there, you’re here studying, or helping Nini with his homework. You’re just feeling exhausted and probably hungry.”

“I’m always hungry!”

Baekhyun exclaimed loudly from where he was pacing in front of the living room window. Jongdae was right, admittedly, on all accounts. Recently Baekhyun’s life had become so busy that whenever he had ten minutes of free time he was so tired and moody he couldn’t relax or enjoy himself. He really took to his nursing studies and liked helping out in the clinic, wrapping up bandages or discussing with Junmyeon or Jongdae what treatments to give for what ailments. But as any medical professional knew, the hours were unpredictable and nine times out of ten, he was on his feet all day.

“Well yes but that’s always been a big character trait of yours,” Jongdae quipped with a nod of his head.

In the last few weeks Baekhyun had taken to stress-eating. He kept waking up from restless sleep to the kitchen at 2, 3 o’clock in the morning to make grilled sandwiches or snack on leftovers in the fridge. Junmyeon had woken up early one morning to head to the clinic and found a guilty-looking Baekhyun stuffing his face with an apple pie. His baggy jeans didn’t feel so baggy around his waist and hips anymore which stressed him out just as equally.

And plus, he’d never admit it in front of Jongdae, but Chanyeol was always so tired from working that they barely even held hands anymore when they were together. So all in all, Baekhyun was tired, stressed, hungry, hormonal and stupidly horny.

“What if he’s met someone in Clearwater?” Baekhyun couldn’t help but blurt as he turned to Jongdae, “I’m not a wolf, I don’t have these wolf genes so there’s still a possibility that maybe he’ll click with someone else!”

“You know as well as anyone that that goofball doesn’t know how to flirt,” Jongdae reasoned with a scoff.

Baekhyun’s face was utterly unconvinced. Jongin glanced up from his homework to chew lazily on the end of his pencil. His pretty eyes glanced toward his elder brother as he huffed in agreement.

“He doesn’t even know when Baekhyun’s flirting with him and they’re practically married,” the boy added with a sassy nod of his head.

“Algebra, young man,” Jongdae reminded fatherly, pointing at the books in front of his son, before glancing to Baekhyun once more, “Baekhyun, Chanyeol is never going to look at someone else now he has you. Just because you aren’t a wolf, doesn’t mean his hormones won’t see you as any less of a mate. You’re bonded.”

With a dramatic sigh Baekhyun dropped onto the end of the sofa and folded his arms across his chest. A pout immediately appeared on his face and Jongdae would have smiled at the sight if he wasn’t so used to these almost daily rants and vents about Park Chanyeol. Hell, even he found himself getting annoyed with Chanyeol’s ever-normal behaviour.

“This is natural and normal, Baekhyun, this is what happens in relationships! Do you honestly think me and Jun have always been blissfully happy, 24/7? Hell no! Sometimes I wake up in the morning and see his peacefully sleeping face as he drools on _my_ side of the pillow and wonder if he’s doing it on purpose,” Jongdae scoffed with a theatrical wave of his hand.

Jongin glanced up at Jongdae with inquisitive eyes.

“Don’t tell Papa I said that,” Jongdae saved himself quickly.

“It’ll cost you a piece of plum pie,” the child bargained with a sly smile that rivalled Jongdae’s own.

“Who taught you to bribe and bargain like that?” Jongdae huffed as if he wasn’t the culprit.

The male got up from the sofa, and with another stern point to the pile of mathematic sums in front of Jongin, disappeared into the kitchen. Baekhyun glanced over the boy and sighed wistfully, momentarily wondering what had happened to the tiny little baby who used to cling to him like a koala. He knew he was probably being biased, but Jongin was growing into such a gorgeous boy with dark eyes and pretty cheekbones. There was no doubt Jongin was going to be an absolute heartbreaker the minute he popped out the other side of puberty.

One thing Baekhyun was glad of about Jongin’s rapid aging though was that even at thirteen, the boy still loved cuddling up to him, or his father’s, and with just a look the algebra was abandoned. Baekhyun felt he could only truly relax when Jongin was cuddled up to him and he immediately clung to the child and inhaled the sweet smell of his hair.

It no longer smelt like baby shampoo, and more like woody air and dirt from running around outside all day with his friends, but it was still as good as crack to Baekhyun.

“You and Chanyeol aren’t breaking up, right, Koia?” Jongin asked quietly with pouted cheeks.

“No, baby, don’t worry,” Baekhyun lied.

It hurt to lie, and he felt like he was lying to himself too, because deep down he was too emotional to be rational. His body was tired and all he wanted was for all this strangeness with Chanyeol to finish so that he could just be held in his lover’s arms but that seemed far away now. When Jongdae returned with three colourful bowls of dessert he didn’t even seem surprised to see his two big babies cuddled up together and simply plopped back down in his own spot.

By the time Junmyeon arrived home, Jongin’s homework was finished and he was able to wish them all goodnight before heading to bed. Junmyeon ate warmed up leftovers and moaned about the utter chaos that flu jab season became at the clinic, and with a pop of a wine bottle, relaxed beside his husband. Baekhyun watched as Junmyeon placed a warm, comforting hand on Jongdae’s thigh and stroked over it mindlessly, both of them distracted by the television. It was such a sweet affectionate gesture that a hormonal Baekhyun craved so badly he burst into tears.

“Baekhyun!” Junmyeon exclaimed with wide eyes, “What’s wrong? Are you still feeling upset about Chanyeol?”

All Baekhyun could do was nod pitifully and sniffle with fat tears trailing down his cheeks. Junmyeon glanced at his husband, still a little confused from the male’s sudden outburst, as Jongdae’s expression changed curiously. His eyes glanced across Baekhyun slowly, like a detective on the tip of a breakthrough, or revelation.

That’s because he was.

Jongdae got to his feet in an instant, but whereas Baekhyun expected the male to wrap his arms around him and comfort him, he couldn’t help but flinch when the doctor leaned down and inhaled deeply at Baekhyun’s neck. Baekhyun could only look at him with perplexed, watery eyes and even Junmyeon leaned forward with a deep frown of puzzlement at his husband’s behaviour.

“Dae,” Junmyeon started but Jongdae suddenly stood back with a dazzling smile.

His excitable clapping interrupted whatever Junmyeon was going to say and Baekhyun’s chest heaved a sob.

“Why are you smiling at me like that?” Baekhyun’s voice croaked.

The male leaned down and wiped Baekhyun’s tears with his soft thumbs, as he’d done many times before, a hell of a smile stretched over his face. He couldn’t figure out if Jongdae was trying to comfort him or tease him, and was about to question so but he beat Baekhyun to it.

“Oh my gosh, I can’t _believe_ we didn’t notice!” Jongdae exclaimed with his hands now squishing Baekhyun’s wet cheeks, “Baekhyun, you’re pregnant!”

☁

Baekhyun struggled to believe that he was pregnant at first, even if all the signs were there. When he and Chanyeol had first met all Baekhyun could do was daydream about them having a big family and spending their days in happiness but ever since they both got so busy, it purely slipped from Baekhyun’s mind. Busy work schedules and hormones obviously weren’t the contraceptive Baekhyun thought they were.

So far it was a secret between he, Junmyeon and Jongdae.

He felt as if he needed to see it on paper for it to be real and so they’d done a pregnancy test at the clinic one evening when it was quiet and the result was positive, Baekhyun was pregnant. In fact, he was very pregnant, he’d been pregnant for three whole months and no one, including himself, had noticed before then. It’s not like he had a regular menstrual cycle to depend on either. It explained a lot of things, though, such as his mood swings and increased appetite.

Jongdae and Junmyeon kept laughing about how even they hadn’t noticed it before and they were literal trained medical professionals. It had sneaked up on him out of nowhere and there was one person who had taken the brunt of it all, Chanyeol, and now Baekhyun just wanted to see him. He just…didn’t really know how to tell him. Baekhyun rarely felt nervous in front of Chanyeol ever since the start of their relationship because the tall male had always been his home. But what if this was something Chanyeol didn’t want?

Fuck, Baekhyun was sick of his ramped up hormones dictating his every thought and feeling.

“Nine times out of ten, alphas make alpha babies, which means the baby is going to crave Chanyeol’s presence throughout the pregnancy and infancy as much as your own. You both need to make up and start this journey together. ASAP.”

Jongdae’s doctoral words had been floating through Baekhyun’s head all day at the clinic. It had been a slow one and apart from patching up little Jungwoo’s knee after he fell on the dock Baekhyun’s day had consisted of cleaning and organising the medicine cupboard. Even now as the clock hand inched toward 5, he was half-heartedly mopping the floor, almost shaking with nerves. He didn’t even notice the way Junmyeon slipped on the wet surface and grumpily put up the wet floor warning sign that Baekhyun had neglected to.

Chanyeol was coming to pick him up tonight. Baekhyun was going to tell him he was pregnant tonight. But it still didn’t feel real…not yet. Seeing Chanyeol’s face was what would make it feel real. When a familiar car horn came from outside it all suddenly felt too, too real. The scenery started shaking around him, then, the clock was jumping off the wall and Baekhyun was seeing double, then triple, and as he squinted to see three of Chanyeol entering the clinic and calling his name, it all went black.

Baekhyun slowly came to. He couldn’t help but rub at his eyes but his bones felt so heavy to lift. He shuffled on the bed, before he realised he was lying on a bed, and ultimately wondered why. A large, warm hand stroked through his hair then and lingered on his forehead which made his bleary eyes open. It was immediate de ja vu when Baekhyun realised he was laying on the same clinic bed he had those years ago when he arrived in Red River, with Chanyeol on one side and Junmyeon on the other.

“Oh fuck, what year is it? Was this all a dream? Is this a coma story?” Baekhyun blurted weakly.

He heard Junmyeon’s warm chuckle as Chanyeol continued to brush through his hair with concern in his eyes and felt comforted by both. Baekhyun’s head felt so heavy like he’d had a bad migraine and he couldn’t help but turn his head toward Chanyeol’s touch, savouring in the warmth familiarity.

“You passed out, baby, you were stood by the reception desk and then next thing I knew you were on the floor, are you sick? Why didn’t you tell me?” Chanyeol urged quickly.

The tall male leaned forward toward Baekhyun and the chair he was sat on scraped uncomfortably on the floor. There was a smile on his face but Baekhyun could see past it, to the worry in his eyes, the fright of seeing his lover like that. Baekhyun had been healthy ever since arriving in Red River apart from the odd cold or the one time he got the flu and he supposed Chanyeol hadn’t seen him so weak and small in such a long time. Baekhyun felt like he hadn’t seen Chanyeol at all, properly, in such a long time. Junmyeon was talking but Baekhyun was just staring at Chanyeol like his life depended on it.

“Fainting is common and Baekhyun’s vitals are fine. Stay lying down for a while until you feel better and drink water before you go anywhere. When Chanyeol takes you home get something good to eat and an early night. I don’t want to see you at this clinic for at least two days.”

And with that Junmyeon turned on his heel and whisked off as always, no doubt to ring Jongdae and inform him what happened, and what was probably about to happen.

Baekhyun tried to sit himself up but Chanyeol took hold of his shoulders and practically pinned him down with his very unfair dose of strength. The older felt like a string bean compared to his boyfriend and would probably feel even more so over the next few months. The thought made him groan ever so as Chanyeol’s hand found its way back to his forehead, the pad of his thumb stroking over the knot of Baekhyun’s frown.

“Don’t you dare, koi fish, Jun just said you have to rest for a moment,” Chanyeol’s voice cracked in worry, “Have you been unwell for some time? Have you fainted before now?”

“I’m fine, babe, I’m just,” _Hungry, nauseous, hormonal, horny, nervous, emotional,_ “Tired. I’ve just been tired recently.”

A wry smile broke across Chanyeol’s soft features and the male scoffed audibly.

“I’ve been in love with you for three years, do you honestly think I can’t tell when you’re lying?” Chanyeol paused and trailed his palm to hold Baekhyun’s face softly, “Sweetheart, please don’t hide something from me, I…I know that I’ve been distant and things have felt strained recently but if you’re sick you gotta tell me or else I’ll go shit crazy with worry!”

“Today I was nervous,” Baekhyun blurted.

He agreed with Chanyeol wholeheartedly. He didn’t want any of this atmosphere to hover over them anymore, he just wanted his Chanyeol back, wanted to see him smile and laugh and kiss his stupid mouth whenever he made a bad joke. His boyfriend was obviously taken aback by how easy it actually was for Baekhyun to admit how he felt.

“You’re so nervous about something it made you pass out? Fuck, babe, what,” Chanyeol stopped his sentence abruptly.

His face changed then and the sadness across it made Baekhyun feel doubly sick to the stomach. Three years of reading each other’s faces but neither of them could guess what the other was _really_ thinking or feeling today. Baekhyun clung to Chanyeol’s wrists to keep him in place because the look on his face was as if he were going to tear his hands away.

“Do you want to break up with me?”

Baekhyun’s stomach wrenched at the sentence alone, so the tortured look on Chanyeol’s face was just an unbearable to see. Fuck laying down; he immediately sat upright so that he could be face to face with Chanyeol properly because the strange fluttering feeling in his stomach couldn’t take the thought of seeing Chanyeol so fucking sad. Baekhyun immediately shook his head and in turn took hold of Chanyeol’s cheeks.

“The guys at work keep teasing me that because you’re human you’re going to get bored of me and it just started playing on my mind, you know? I’m a wolf, I have these wolf bonds that draw me to something eternally but you don’t, you have that freedom and maybe you got bored of me and bored of this,” Chanyeol’s deep voice rasped sadly.

“I thought you wanted to break up with me,” Baekhyun cried out as his tears poured over.

When Chanyeol cried, he cried.

“What?” Chanyeol sniffled with confusion.

“I thought you might have met a wolf in Clearwater while working there and that you’d have an actual wolf bond and you wouldn’t want me anymore!” Baekhyun confessed before he wrapped his arms around Chanyeol’s neck tightly.

In an instant, Chanyeol lifted the boy from the bed and onto his lap flush against his body. It was the closest and warmest they’d been in so long that Baekhyun’s heartbeat felt uneven as it raced inside his ribcage. He wrapped his limbs around Chanyeol’s middle and realised that they were still just two idiots in love. Baekhyun couldn’t help but inhale his boyfriend’s scent with a feral need from the base of his neck; Chanyeol’s sweat never smelt so good before and he was doing the same to Baekhyun.

Until he stopped, and cocked his head back, glancing across Baekhyun’s face with a whole other expression of confusion.

“You…you smell different,” Chanyeol whispered then edged his nose tentatively along Baekhyun’s jaw.

Baekhyun remembered the way Jongdae had smelt his neck and immediately known the change in his body. He figured that Chanyeol had done the same and wondered just how powerful everyone’s noses here in Red River are. His mind ran a mile a minute, all over again, trying to figure out the perfect way to deliver his next sentence but he subsequently panicked, and his mouth did all the blurting for him.

“I’m pregnant, you dumb alpha.”

Chanyeol’s pink lips wobbled open and closed. His brow went high behind his hair only to come back down and furrow as his whole face expressed every thought he was having with sheer comic effect. Baekhyun bit down on his bottom lip, and as nervous and sick and hormonal as he still felt, being flush and centred to Chanyeol’s body flushed so much relief through his body. Maybe Jongdae was right, maybe he’d been suffering so much in the past few weeks because his body physically needed Chanyeol’s.

“You’re…we’re gonna have a baby?” Chanyeol spoke aloud experimentally.

“Yeah,” Baekhyun whispered, “I found out last night. I was so freaked out you’d found someone else and suddenly I was pregnant.”

In the past, talk of babies and family would make his goofy boyfriend blush and wriggle; he wanted to admit he liked the idea of tiny Baekhyun’s but felt too nervous to do so. This was so different from that because now Chanyeol was leaning in and kissing Baekhyun so softly and holding him so close that words didn’t have to explain anything.

_You’re the only one for me. I’m gonna love you forever. I’m so fucking happy we’re having a baby._

Then Chanyeol broke the kiss off with a loud cheer that pierced Baekhyun’s eardrums. Junmyeon leapt up in fright from the back office and spilt coffee down his white coat at the sound.

“I’m gonna be a Daddy! We’re going to have a baby and I’m gonna be a Dad!”

And then he kissed Baekhyun again, and again, and suddenly the last two weeks of turmoil was forgotten so easily and stupidly for excited kisses and gripping hugs.

☁

“Hey sweetheart, do you know what this is?” Chanyeol called when he hopped off the bottom step and into their kitchen.

“Is it a magical cure for my swollen ankles?” Baekhyun replied from where he was washing the last dish in the sink.

“Nope but my hands can do a pretty good job of that later,” Chanyeol chuckled before he placed an open, cardboard box on the counter, “This is the last box to unpack. We’re officially moved in, koi fish.”

Time had whizzed by, as it always does, and as Baekhyun’s pregnancy grew into its fourth month they found themselves in their very own house. It had needed some work at first; Minho had sorted it out for the couple when the previous owners told him they were moving to Amber Ridge. The wallpaper was dated and the carpets weren’t pretty but there were enough helpful hands in Red River to transform the small house into a home.

The small house was situated on a quiet off-road between the clinic and the docks but backed out onto woodland like Jongdae and Junmyeon’s place. There were two large bedrooms, a pretty kitchen and even a tiny study that lead off from the living room that Baekhyun planned to use for his nursing exams. It was perfect and once Chanyeol, Johnny and Sehun had spent a few days repainting and laying down fresh flooring, it felt like a whole new home.

Baekhyun had never felt his heart beat so happy the first night he and Chanyeol sat at their little table, eating their first meal, even if it was a warmed up portion of Halmeoni’s stew.

And now, it seemed Chanyeol had finally finished unpacking the last of his stuff into their bedroom. Baekhyun immediately turned on his heels in surprise. For a while they were just living amongst boxes, living out of boxes, eating out of boxes, so for Chanyeol to say they were now box-less was as big as winning the lottery.

“The last one? You’re sure?” Baekhyun blinked curiously.

“Yeah, koi fish, this is officially the last one. There are a few books of yours in here, a couple of Halmeoni’s trinkets that apparently ward off bad spirits…and this,” Chanyeol finished as he held up a familiar photo frame, “Shall I just get rid of this or?”

“Hey!”

Baekhyun pouted and immediately rescued the precious photo from Chanyeol’s clutches with wet hands. He knew that his boyfriend was joking but he couldn’t help but hold the precious photo to his chest for a moment before smiling down at it. The photograph of teenage Chanyeol reading that Baekhyun had had pinned to his bedroom wall for years, until he framed it.

“All those nights I struggled to sleep, or even close my eyes, but I used to look at this photo until I fell asleep and I’d always have the sweetest dreams,” Baekhyun sighed dreamily as he glanced over it, “Who knew this cute guy was going to knock me up and put me through the worst nausea of my life.”

“Baby, you’re starting to sound like Jongdae,” Chanyeol chuckled.

He came across and wrapped his arms around Baekhyun from behind, large hands immediately splaying across the ever-growing baby bump. He kissed the top of Baekhyun’s head once, then his neck, before plopping his chin on his shoulder. This was what still felt so surreal to Baekhyun, standing in their own home, preparing for their baby. When did they grow up so fast?

It was times like these he selfishly wanted to drive out into the woods and have sex in the back of the truck like they used to, even if they did have their own bed now.

“Which reminds me, Nini’s coming round soon and Luhan wants to come over to compare bumps _again_ , so I have a busy schedule,” Baekhyun chuckled.

He kissed Chanyeol and stepped from his love’s arms to dry his hands properly. It may have been their house but it didn’t mean they were the only ones in it. As expected, Halmeoni dropped in frequently to tidy and would leave with their laundry and Jongdae was just as bad, coming over unannounced to see how they were doing. Jongin dropped in every night after school on his bike and on the occasion both doctors were needed at the clinic Jongin tended to stay the night.

It was the one thing Baekhyun missed most about his home at Junmyeon and Jongdae’s, seeing his little baby Jongin every day.

Minseok and Luhan were having a baby too, had discovered it a lot earlier on than Chanyeol and Baekhyun had, so the two friends were often flittering together to read baby books and cut out pictures of pretty cribs from magazines. Every night Chanyeol would come home from work and have a glossy picture of an expensive pram thrust in his face instead of a kiss, but he loved it.

Baekhyun kept catching his love loitering in the nursery. He’d hover by the door and watch Chanyeol stroke the pastel yellow curtains or dust down the little shelves he’d put up, arranging the little books and wooden puddle duck figurines on them. When they finally got their hands on a crib Chanyeol had built it immediately without being asked and had sobbed happily when Baekhyun had finished it off with the yellow blankets and teddy bears.

Chanyeol was getting softer as the days went by, as if he wasn’t an absolute puppy of a boy to begin with.

When Baekhyun went up the stairs with the intention of placing the photo frame of Chanyeol in their room, he glimpsed at the small, sweet nursery and smiled. Every sleep was a perfect sleep beside Chanyeol - even if he was waking up every ten minutes to pee or occasionally waking up beside a snoring, slobbering silver wolf - so he placed the frame in the nursery. He stroked over his bump and sighed contentedly. The day he could finally meet his tiny Chanyeol couldn’t come quick enough.

The sound of the front door clicking open echoed through the house and Baekhyun immediately smiled at the arrival of his other baby downstairs. He could hear the light chatter of Chanyeol asking Jongin about school as Baekhyun made his way down to meet them and was immediately cuddled on sight. He kissed Jongin’s hair and squeezed him tightly.

“Did they kick today?” Jongin quizzed eagerly with his hands on Baekhyun’s tummy.

“Not yet, but if you keep talking, they’ll hear you and get excited!” Baekhyun promised with a smile.

“I’m here too, pay attention to me!” Jongdae then quipped as he let himself in and closed the front door behind him, “I’ve got some more vitamins and supplements for Baekhyun to take. I gave you the first batch so don’t tell Luhan.”

“Luhan’s coming any minute,” Baekhyun laughed as he dropped onto the sofa with Jongin in tow.

The doctor threw the bag of medicine toward Chanyeol with urgency and ushered him away with a waving hand, quickly reiterating the fact. The silver haired male blinked dumbly and peaked inside the bag briefly before he disappeared upstairs to place them in the bathroom.

“You’re getting big quick, aren’t you?” Jongdae hummed when he hovered over Baekhyun and had his turn stroking the bump, “You could barely tell I was pregnant for months with this one.”

“Daddy still thinks it’s a girl and Papa changed his mind, now he’s betting on a boy,” Jongin laughed.

“Chanyeol’s hell-bent they’re going to be a boy,” Baekhyun was interrupted as Chanyeol cheered loudly from upstairs, “I’m just excited for them, whoever they are.”

“You’ll start dreaming about it soon,” Jongdae spoke as he got comfortable in the armchair opposite, “I knew exactly how much Nini was going to weigh from a dream I had. Junmyeon still doesn’t believe me to this day but that’s on him.”

“Either way the poor thing is going to have Chanyeol’s ears…yikes,” Jongdae quipped playfully when the silver haired male returned.

He didn’t have time to quip or reply when the front door opened again and Luhan entered with an excitable wave. The pretty boy all but skipped to hug Baekhyun and sit on the other side of Jongin.

“Who’s going to have Chanyeol’s ears?” he asked innocently.

“The baby,” Jongdae smirked.

“Oh gosh, of course it is, the poor thing,” Luhan commented with a tsk, “Even Minnie thinks so.”

All Chanyeol could do was stand in his own home in defeat, until Luhan quizzed Jongdae on the whereabouts of his own vitamins, to which the male immediately snitched on the doctor. Jongdae glared across at the male unimpressed as Chanyeol smirked in triumph, boiling the tea kettle in victory to the sounds of Luhan’s pouty whines directed in Jongdae’s direction.

☁

Grumbling noises emerged from the bedroom when Chanyeol rounded the corner curiously. He couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the sight of his tiny human, tummy the size of a beach ball, bottom lip stuck out just as much as he angrily tried to zip himself into his jeans.

“Give it up, koi fish,” Chanyeol spoke softly as he rooted through his own drawer to pull out a pair of comfortable joggers, “Just dress comfortable. You should be glad you can’t fit into denim anymore, jeans are gross.”

“Some of us enjoy wearing jeans,” Baekhyun huffed when he finally gave up on his denim quest.

The male absolutely loved growing his tiny human, loved feeling the baby’s kicks, and the fluttering feeling when they moved, but he was fed up of the ever-changing clothes size. It was a never-ending cycle of Irene and Seulgi adjusting his clothes for him, only to be altered again the week after. At just past seven months, Baekhyun was very, very pregnant, and Jongdae kept warning him that alpha babies _always_ came early.

He dropped onto the edge of the bed and knew very well he’d probably end up stuck there as Chanyeol came to crouch in front of him. He’d recently found some work closer to home which meant they could spend more time together, and Baekhyun was so thankful for his love’s presence around the house. Chanyeol gave a million dollar grin as he carefully tugged Baekhyun’s jeans from him and carefully replaced them with the comfortable joggers.

“I’m starting to feel like a big baby myself,” Baekhyun huffed.

“You are my big baby. You know how much I love taking care of you, these last few months have been like crack to me,” Chanyeol chuckled as he rolled Baekhyun’s socks onto his small feet.

“I love the way you look after me,” Baekhyun whispered with a tiny smile.

Despite the occasional pregnancy grump nothing made him softer than Chanyeol helping him before he could even get a chance. Baekhyun was starting to think about that a lot, recently, just how much he appreciated Chanyeol, as if he didn’t already. He couldn’t help but lean across and kiss his love’s forehead and stroke his silver hair from his face. Chanyeol gave another grin and leaned forward to capture his lips softly.

“I love the way you look after others, I’m just repaying the favour on their behalf,” Chanyeol commented.

Baekhyun was determined to work at the clinic and keep up with his nursing coursework until the very last moment, even if Junmyeon had him sitting at reception all day in a brand new, comfy desk chair. He’d tried to argue with them that if anything ever happened in the way of contractions while he was at work, he was in the best place for it, but of course the doctor’s were hard to persuade.

Chanyeol took his boyfriend’s hands and carefully pulled him to his feet, both of them grinning when the baby bump met Chanyeol’s own tummy, and Baekhyun couldn’t help but sigh dreamily. For weeks he had been hell-bent on one particular thing, but Chanyeol just wouldn’t agree.

“Please let me name him after you if he’s a boy, babe,” Baekhyun whined as Chanyeol’s hands held his waist softly.

“No, sweetheart,” Chanyeol groaned, “Do you know how confusing that would be? All the names in the world and you pick mine.”

“I like yours more than anything!” Baekhyun whined.

He’d been thinking about it for weeks but no one was interested in the idea. Even Jongin, who was so rose-petal-eyed when it came to the baby, had fiercely shaken his head at the proposal. All Baekhyun could think about was having a big Chanyeol and a tiny Chanyeol but it was no use. What a bunch of traitors his friends and family became. Even Luhan, who was determined to find the most uniquely dramatic name ever, was bored of the idea. 

“The perfect name for our boy,”

“Or girl,” Baekhyun hummed.

“The perfect name for our boy will just fall into our laps one day, sweetheart, so let’s not recycle our names, hmm?” Chanyeol chuckled.

Baekhyun huffed and stroked his bump as Chanyeol pulled on a light sweater with a hum. He hated that he was too heavy and absolutely un-limber that he couldn’t just pounce across the room and kiss at Chanyeol’s tanned neck but sex required slight planning and care now, especially since Baekhyun was _NEVER_ comfortable. Ever.

He followed his love downstairs and lowered himself onto his end of the sofa as Chanyeol disappeared to the kitchen, fussing around the contents of the fridge, before returning with a cold beer and a glass of fresh juice for Baekhyun. Chanyeol went to grab for the television remote but Baekhyun stopped him momentarily, lacing their hands together instead, and the other’s expression changed into a state of preparation. He assumed Baekhyun was going to give him another rousing sales pitch about his name but was surprised.

“How did your parents come up with your name? Do you know?” Baekhyun asked tentatively.

Chanyeol’s face and body visibly softened and he melted into a smile. The male leaned across and brought Baekhyun’s feet to his lap with his stupidly big hands. He automatically began to stroke over his swollen ankles and the pregnant male subsequently entered heaven.

“Halmeoni said Eomma’s favourite book had a character called Chanyeol and when I was born she took one look at me and knew,” Chanyeol spoke tenderly.

“That’s really sweet,” Baekhyun whispered.

He thought then, of every book he’d ever read but there were no pretty or cute names that jumped out at him immediately, so he asked another question. There was no sadness etched across Chanyeol’s features that suggested he didn’t want to continue talking about his late parents so Baekhyun felt comfortable with his next question.

“What about your Appa? What was his name?”

“Park Duri,” Chanyeol replied with a proud smile, “That was his name.”

It was later that night, particularly in the middle of the night, when Baekhyun was in between dreams it came to him. He glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table and huffed at the red numbers telling him it was almost twenty minutes past three. The male glanced up at the ceiling and stroked over his bump, his sleeping t-shirt bunched so his soft, stretched skin was exposed from where he’d kicked away the duvet.

Beside him Chanyeol was sleeping soundly. His even breaths were the sweetest sound to brace Baekhyun’s ears, even if he was jealous with how comfortable his love looked, tucked against the pillow and his pretty lips parted ever so. Baekhyun just couldn’t shake the thought from his head the moment he’d first gotten into bed and Chanyeol had kissed him goodnight. He’d been running in and out of dreams, the dreams Jongdae had described, with a tiny human running into his arms, pretty face crystal clear. Every time Baekhyun called the same name and the child’s face lit up so perfectly it made his heart ache. 

Baekhyun couldn’t keep it to himself anymore.

The male leaned across carefully and took hold of Chanyeol’s warm, bare arm and shook it gently, and when nothing came from it, he added more pressure. His love’s lips closed and his nose scrunched and when Baekhyun wobbled his arm one last time, a sleepy noise left his throat.

“Is the baby coming?” Chanyeol’s words were low and barely audible as his eyes didn’t even open.

The pregnant male wasn’t over-the-top excited at the way Chanyeol gave no movement or urgency behind that sentence but ignored it, forgiving him this time. Baekhyun turned to his side and left his hand on Chanyeol’s arm as he shuffled closer.

“No, I’m okay, I just really want to tell you something. I can’t sleep because of it,” Baekhyun implored with a slight pout.

“Tell me, baby,” Chanyeol mumbled.

He was still yet to open his eyes and Baekhyun was _very_ aware his boyfriend wasn’t conscious at all, but hoped he soon would be. He softly kissed over his cheek and abandoned his own pillow to share Chanyeol’s, something the sleeping male was quite used to, since he simply sighed softly and gave no movement of surprise when their noses grazed.

“I saw our baby in my dream,” Baekhyun breathed as emotion started to tickle the back of his throat, “He’s so pretty. He’s as blonde as you but he kinda smiled like me. We’re gonna name him Duri, like your Appa.”

Chanyeol stopped breathing first. The bedroom was silent, as quiet as it was already, and then the male’s eyes opened with a start. Baekhyun couldn’t help but grin at the sleepy way he rubbed at his eyes and picked his face slightly from the pillow. Baekhyun repeated it all, slow and soft in his tone, so Chanyeol could really hear it this time. He held his love’s warm cheeks as his Chanyeol’s eyes glassed over. His voice was low from the way he was still teetering on the edge of sleep and he said a few, garbled words first, making sense of what he’d heard.

Then he didn’t say anything because the baby did it for them. Baekhyun’s bump was pushed against Chanyeol’s soft tummy and they could both feel the way the baby fluttered excitedly for them both. Chanyeol’s hands immediately found their bump and he chuckled thickly with emotion, stroking the tiny bumps and kicks until tears were falling down his cheeks. Baekhyun kissed them away, licking the salt from his lips as his own eyes glassed over. This was the feeling everyone had been telling about; it was euphoric.

“We’re calling him after my Dad?” Chanyeol choked out happily.

“Yeah, big baby,” Baekhyun giggled between their kisses, “He’s going to be our Duri.”

And so they kissed, a lot, and cuddled and touched and kept laughing at the way they couldn’t stop happy crying until Baekhyun could bare it no more. He had Chanyeol on his back with his own legs either side of his waist and the taller didn’t complain once at Baekhyun’s excitable wandering hands raking down his hot chest.

☁

It had been one of the hottest nights of the summer, and one of the longest, even if it had all happened so fast. The moon was high in the sky and remained there even when a rose gold dawn broke out across Red River’s skies and brought out the native birds flying overhead.

It was a morning like any other in the Kim household as Junmyeon shifted his glance between the newspaper and the fried eggs in the pan. Jongdae was busily fussing over Jongin’s hair, brushing it as he always did, even if the teenager was whining and trying to push his Father away from the morning ritual. The kitchen was filled with smells of coffee and toast like any other day, until the soft rapping came from the front door.

Neither of the doctor’s had had a chance to unlock it yet so when they saw Chanyeol stood there, catching his breath with a strange look in his eyes, they were no doubt surprised. He beat them to the punch line though. 

“Baekhyun had the baby,” Chanyeol blurted with a heaving chest, “The baby’s here.”

Junmyeon glanced to Jongdae curiously, who then glanced to Jongin, who was gazing up at Chanyeol in surprise. School and work was easily forgotten as the two doctors gathered the prepared kitbags they always kept at the house for times like these and Jongin was sent to run for Chanyeol’s Halmeoni to bring her too. They sprinted to the small house and practically stormed inside to leave the front door swinging on its hinges, Jongdae taking two steps a time to reach the bedroom.

He couldn’t believe the sight in front of him when he entered and saw an exhausted Baekhyun in bed with a dreamy look in his eyes and a tiny pastel yellow blanket bundled in his arms. The doctors approached and couldn’t help but grin at the glowing and rather pudgy baby that blinked up at them curiously.

“He’s so perfect,” Baekhyun broke out into tears again even though there was an unmovable smile on his face.

When Baekhyun entered his eighth month of pregnancy he’d received all the signs normal pregnancies would in their ninth. Jongdae and Junmyeon had eagerly prepared a room in the clinic ready for whenever the moment of Baekhyun’s labour came but apparently it was now unneeded.

It had all happened so fast. One minute Baekhyun had been sweating like a pig in the humid night’s heat as Chanyeol tiredly dabbed at his forehead with a cool flannel, the next minute, Baekhyun’s body was wracked with contraction after contraction. Chanyeol barely had time to grab towels, let alone dart to the phone or up the road to get the doctors. Baekhyun had had a biological urge screaming at him to push with all his might and all Chanyeol could do was watch in shock as his tiny son was born before his very eyes.

Even Baekhyun seemed shell-shocked at first when he peered past his bump and between his legs to where a tiny baby was crying and wriggling on top of the closest thing Chanyeol could grab; one of his huge hoodies. The couple stared at each other aghast for a moment, catching their breaths, before glancing back to the tiny baby. Chanyeol was the first to step forward and bundle the tiny baby with as much care as he could and lift their son into Baekhyun’s arms. When Baekhyun held onto that tiny, warm bundle and felt their tiny baby in his arms he swore to himself he’d never love something with such fierce devotion for the rest of his life.

And then he and Chanyeol cried happy tears all over again.

“He’s healthy,” Junmyeon grinned at the same time Jongdae cried, “He’s gorgeous!”

They’d fussed over the baby boy and carried out all the normal tests, listening to his strong heartbeat and vital signs, and when Junmyeon weighed the baby carefully Jongdae tended to Baekhyun. Baekhyun’s body felt heavy and exhausted but he just couldn’t tear his eyes away from their tiny baby as Duri slept soundly through all the commotion. Chanyeol was the same, sat beside Baekhyun and gazing at the tiny bundle in Junmyeon’s arms.

“I can’t believe it all happened so fast, you guys are professionals at this, huh?” Jongdae laughed quietly when he was happy with Baekhyun’s health.

“I was uncomfortable through the day but it was a heat wave, we all were,” Baekhyun replied.

His words trailed off and were replaced with the sweetest smile when Junmyeon carefully placed Duri in Chanyeol’s arms and suddenly Baekhyun wanted to watch the love of his life hold their child forever. The doctors glanced across at each other fondly; they knew the feeling well yet revelled in the joy of watching their family experience it. Downstairs the door opened and closed and soon enough Halmeoni all but barged her way to her grandson, and her great grandson.

“Halmeoni, meet Duri, your grandbaby,” Chanyeol introduced with a whisper of a smile.

The elderly lady gazed at the baby, as everyone else had, before kissing Chanyeol’s hair with the utmost softness. Jongin hovered by the door nervously as everyone examined the tiny baby until Baekhyun glanced across and immediately smiled. Baekhyun saw the way the teenager looked so tiny in that moment and beckoned him.

The boy came to him instantly, Jongdae stroking his hair as he went by, and went easily into Baekhyun’s tired arms. He smiled up at Baekhyun and the older returned it easily before Duri let out the sweetest squeak. Jongin peered at the tiny sleeping face he’d waited so excitedly for and practically gasped at the sight. It was a natural instinct for Baekhyun to inhale the smell of Jongin’s fair hair and his heart swelled knowing everyone he loved was gathered close in one room.

“Here’s your little brother, Jongin,” Baekhyun spoke softly when Jongin’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the tiny baby, “You’ve got to look after him, okay?”

“I’ll look after him the way you look after me, Koia,” Jongin promised as his body melted into Baekhyun’s.

And of course, that was enough for Baekhyun to blurt into more happy tears, which meant Chanyeol blubbed and even Jongdae looked out of the window with his back to everyone, swearing he was spying on the neighbours when his shoulders were shuddering like he was on a rollercoaster. Junmyeon had crossed the room and whispered something teasing into his ear only to tuck an arm round his waist and peck his cheek.

In the end, Duri and Jongin were the only ones who weren’t crying, and when the baby peered his tiny eyes open to stare at Jongin the boy beamed with his whole heart. Jongin swore with everything he was, he would always be Duri’s big brother, and take care of him forever.

☁

Family dinners were a new tradition that caught on very quickly and the guest list frequently changed and doubled. Sometimes they were at the Kim house where the most space was, and other times everyone piled into Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s, and every so often the couple strapped Duri carefully into his pushchair and walked to Head Alpha Minho’s for a night of Taemin’s mouth-watering cooking.

Today was one of their bigger dinners since Luhan had recovered from the birth of he and Minseok’s baby girl, and they were coming over, which meant all of Red River wanted to crowd the Kim house and peer at the new babies. Baekhyun didn’t blame them in the slightest because he and Luhan’s new hobby was watching Duri and Cheonsa sleep side by side. 

Halmeoni was currently in the kitchen instructing Taemin and Jongdae how to properly cook a certain dish her way and the occasionally grumble from the doctor floated through the house. Jongin, Jonghyun and Jungwoo were chasing each other boisterously around the garden as boys do, occasionally kicking a ball or jumping off the garden furniture with boundless energy. Junmyeon had only just hopped off his shift and was desperate to eat but had to wait like everyone else, so he and Minho were waiting it out in the study where it was quiet.

The rest of them were gathered in the living room that had basically turned into the baby station. Nappies, bottles, blankets and toys now covered every surface of Jongdae and Junmyeon’s home. Johnny had even dragged Sehun along, the wolves obviously not having much else to do with their time on a slow Sunday afternoon, and tempted with the chance of free food.

The stairs creaked their familiar tune as Chanyeol came down them with a bouncy and very curious Duri in his arms and the nappy bag over his shoulder. Baekhyun glanced and immediately burst into a smile when Duri’s tiny hands waved in his direction but Chanyeol huffed when he handed their son over. Duri had grown into the chunkiest baby Baekhyun had ever seen and he loved it so much as he blew raspberries on the boy’s cheeks.

“All I do is clean his butt and does my tiny koi appreciate me? No, he just wants his Baba,” Chanyeol huffed.

“Amen,” Minseok grumbled before his face paled, “And the stuff that comes out of them…yikes.”

The two fathers visibly shuddered together before they disappeared off in search of beers or some kind of substitute. Luhan rolled his eyes playfully and glanced across to Sehun who was in the lone armchair, face serious and still as a statue. He looked as if he was going to break into a sweat at any moment from the utter concentration. Baekhyun couldn’t help but laugh as he rocked Duri in his arms.

“How you doing over there, Sehunnie?” Luhan quizzed with a mischievous smile.

Sehun glanced at the tiny baby girl in his arms and nodded awkwardly, his face expressing that he would rather be anywhere else but here. Luhan and Baekhyun laughed at the way he held Cheonsa like she was a bomb with seconds to go off.

“She’s…you know…a baby,” the boy spoke simply.

“Oh good, you’re bonding well,” Luhan giggled even though he kept a watchful eye on his daughter.

He and Baekhyun had obviously planned ahead in the midst of their new parent excitement and brought Duri and Cheonsa in co-ordinated outfits, the two children sporting the same knitted cardigan in the same shade of yellow. Even Minho had cooed loudly at the sight of the happy babies in matching apparel and tickled both of their cheeks.

Fatherhood was hard on he and Chanyeol, as it was on any first time parent, and the dark under eye circles showed on both couples’ faces but fuck, Baekhyun couldn’t imagine his life before this. His mind could no longer picture a morning he didn’t get up to the sounds of their son, the warmth of Duri’s body against his chest and the sweet smell of the baby shampoo. Chanyeol had said that the week he finally went back to work after his paternity leave was the longest, hardest week of his life.

Now, their most joyful and blissful moments came when Chanyeol arrived home and together they fed, bathed and watched their precious son fall asleep. Sometimes Baekhyun woke up in the night to an empty bed. He’d wander carefully to the nursery next door and would smile so fucking hard at the sight he’d see; Chanyeol fast asleep on the floor by the crib. Chanyeol and Duri were so inseparable that Baekhyun would often join his love on the floor and pull a blanket across them and the couple would wake up to Duri’s bright eyes watching them from his crib.

“Food’s going on plates!” Jungwoo, Johnny’s kid brother, called happily.

He and Jonghyun breezed through the living room to rush into the dining room excitedly but Jongin lagged behind, with a smile on his face, coming over to Baekhyun and Duri instead. The baby gazed up at Jongin and drooled happily as the teenager booped his nose. Luhan relieved Sehun of baby duty and brought Cheonsa into his arms with a warm smile and a soft kiss against her cheeks.

“Did you have fun with Uncy Sehunnie? Is he your favourite?” Luhan cooed as Sehun all but sprinted after the kids like a bat out of hell.

Baekhyun and Luhan looked across at each other and burst into loud laughter.

It was all a rush then as Halmeoni roped helpers to carry the hot plates of food through to the other room and soon enough everyone was sat around Junmyeon and Jongdae’s table. Chanyeol had retaken baby duty and was giving Duri his bottle while Jongin sat on Baekhyun’s other side, sweetly putting food on Baekhyun’s plate and getting kisses to his head in return.

The food was warm but the company was warmer as Baekhyun glanced around the table. Junmyeon was talking about some bottle of wine he liked and Jongdae was silencing him with mouthfuls of meat, Halmeoni was on Chanyeol’s other side loading up everyone’s plate and Minho was giving his son a warning look for not touching the vegetables. Johnny and Jungwoo didn’t have the same problem as they ate everything in their vicinity with glittering eyes while Minseok handfed Luhan as his pretty boyfriend rocked their pretty baby.

“Let’s do this forever,” Baekhyun whispered to Chanyeol when the table was loud with other varied chatter.

Duri chose that moment to let out a loud burp before grinning a drooling smile at Baekhyun from Chanyeol’s shoulder. Both fathers grinned and Chanyeol patted the baby’s back softly before meeting Baekhyun’s sparkling eyes.

“Yeah, let’s, baby,” Chanyeol agreed with a soft kiss to Duri’s head, “Just me and my two tiny koi fishes.”

“Until we have another,” Baekhyun quipped with a wry smile.

Of course Chanyeol choked loudly.

☁ _the end_ ☁

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading Blue Koi and supporting it with your sweet comments. I started this on a whim and thought it would be like ten pages then forgotten about forever and that soon changed! I hope you enjoyed Red River as much as I did. ♥
> 
> There will be a short series with the other character's backstories or spin-offs, so please watch out for how Jongdae and Junmyeon met, Jongin's own love story, and maybe a few others thrown in. Please wait for me ♥
> 
> Stay safe and wear a mask ♥


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